NEW ORLEANS (LA)
NOLA.com
April 30, 2020
By Ramon Antonio Vargas
Filing could be as soon as Friday, May 1
The Archdiocese of New Orleans is preparing to file for bankruptcy, a source familiar with the matter said Thursday evening, as the mounting cost of unresolved clergy-abuse lawsuits and the shutdown of church services due to the coronavirus deliver crushing blows to church finances.
The 227-year-old local institution serving half a million New Orleans-area Catholics will join 26 other American dioceses and Catholic religious orders that have sought financial protection from creditors and claimants since the clergy-abuse scandal reached a fever pitch in 2002.
Despite filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which could occur as early as Friday, the archdiocese is expected to continue ministering to its parishioners and operate in relatively normal fashion. As in other recent diocesan bankruptcies, churches will still hold Mass and schools and various ministries will likely continue to teach students and perform their duties to the community whenever restrictions associated with the pandemic are lifted.
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