Sunday, October 18, 2009

Diocese of Wilmington Declares Bankruptcy

And so it begins.

What is most interesting in the letter of Bishop Malooly is his feigned chagrin that creditors won't be getting the money owed them by the diocese. Your Excellency, they don't call it Chapter 11 PROTECTION for nothing. You used a legal mechanism to wiggle out of paying debts that you don't want to pay. Could you pay them? Certainly. Sell stuff. Close parishes. Work longer and for less pay. Cook your own meals. Buy less scotch. Sack cloth and ashes in reparation for what those child molesting priests have done would have been the right response rather than the safety net of bankruptcy. Funny, isn't it, that Rome didn't bail you out. I guess they also don't think that Wilmington is worth pawning the jewels for. Shame. Shame upon shame.

7 comments:

Homer said...

The Diocese in Tucson was the first to declare bankruptcy- I believe this was to avoid paying more money to sex abuse claimants.

Tony Adams said...

Right, I forgot about Tucson. Have they somehow managed to drag themselves out of bankruptcy? Secretly selling those diamonds hidden in their cavities?

Homer said...

I'm not sure how it was done, I guess they claimed that they used all of their cash assets to pay off the claims, and then "re-organized." They got a new bishop, Jerry Kicanas, who toes the Vatican line and I'm guessing has ambitions to become a cardinal some day (I'm being very nice here about him).

edfu said...

Wilmington is the seventh U.S. diocese to declare bankruptcy. The others are Davenport, Iowa; Portland, Oregon; Fairbanks, Alaska; San Diego, California; Spokane, Washington; and Tucson, Arizona.

Tony Adams said...

Goodness, I wonder if all these bankruptcies have caused hesitance on the part of the providers of goods and services to do business with dioceses.

RawForReal said...

I'm glad I'm not the only lapsed Catholic here.

dpaste said...

Your schadenfreude is delicious.