MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press
By Elizabeth Mohr
emohr@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 02/24/2015
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis moved funds in the year before it filed for bankruptcy protection, but it was not an attempt to avoid paying victims of clergy sexual abuse, its chief financial officer said Tuesday.
Rather, Thomas Mertens said during a hearing in the U.S. Trustee’s office, the establishment of the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation was “to honor donor intent.”
Parishioners expressed concerns about their donations being used to pay for legal expenses related to claims of sex abuse, Mertens said. So the independent fund was established to assure donors that their money would be used only for ministry programs.
Mertens also said the archdiocese “will consider whether we would sell” its chancery office and three other properties to help pay creditors.
Besides the chancery offices on Summit Avenue, which are connected to the archbishop’s residence at 226 Summit Ave., the other properties are the Msgr. Ambrose Hayden Center at Mulberry Street and Kellogg Boulevard, which houses its Office of Family, Laity, Youth & Young Adults; the Dayton Building at 244 Dayton Ave.; and a residence in Northfield.
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