Tucson
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson filed for bankruptcy this week, making it the second U.S. diocese to go broke over the cost of sexual abuse cases. Tucson church leaders had already paid $20 million to people who said they were abused by priests, and the officials reportedly feared the diocese could be ruined if it lost a lawsuit set for a Sept. 29 trial. Bishop Gerald Kicanas said bankruptcy court offered “the best opportunity for healing,” and for ensuring that the church would have something left to pay 22 additional people with lawsuits pending. Lynne Cadigan, an attorney for several victims, said the bishop was pleading poverty “to make the victims appear to be the predators.” The Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., declared bankruptcy in July.
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