In the bankruptcy reorganization proceedings of the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, August 3 is the deadline for sex abuse victims to file claims. Yesterday's Wall Street Journal reports that in a motion filed June 29 (full text), the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors (representing victim claimants) presented the bankruptcy court with a seven-minute video urging victims to come forward before the deadline. The motion asks the court to order the Archdiocese to deliver written notice to each parish asking it to play the video after each Mass on the July 11-12 weekend, requesting each parish to post the video (or a link to it) on its website, and ordering the Archdiocese to post the video on its own website. The Archdiocese in its response to the motion (full text) says there has already been adequate notice and the video has already received extensive distribution by the media. The response (full text) of the committee representing individual parishes adds that "Parishes could view the
order and request as implicating First Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution, " The bankruptcy court will hold a hearing on the motion today.
