Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Catholic Diocese of Gallup Becomes Ninth To File For Bankruptcy Protection
Last week (Nov. 12), the Catholic Diocese of Gallup-- which encompasses parts of New Mexico and Arizona-- became the ninth Catholic diocese in the United States to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. As reported by the Albuquerque Journal, the diocese includes a large part of the Navajo Nation, as well as 6 other tribes and pueblos. The day before the filing, the diocese posted a letter (full text) from Bishop Wall reiterating a statement he made in September that bankruptcy reorganization is "the only way to equitably and mercifully deal with the mounting sex abuse claims, still meet our commitment to [parishioners] and continue the outreach mission of the Church." Two separate bankruptcy petitions, along with a motion for joint administration of the two cases, were filed in federal bankruptcy court in New Mexico since the diocese is organized through two separate entities-- a New Mexico corporation sole and an Arizona corporation sole. The full text of all the legal documents involved are available from the Diocese's website. [Thanks to Douglas Carver for the lead.]
Labels:
Arizona,
Bankruptcy,
Catholic,
New Mexico