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.]