June 16, 2005

Diocese hiding assets, plaintiffs say

NASHVILLE (TN)
Tennessean

By SHEILA BURKE
Staff Writer

Lawyers representing two molestation victims in a lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville are accusing church officials of hiding millions of dollars' worth of assets that they believe should be considered at an upcoming trial.

But church officials said yesterday they have done nothing wrong and have complied with a judge's order to provide an accurate accounting of how much the diocese is worth.

The dispute revolves around one central question: What constitutes property owned by the diocese?

Lawyers suing the church maintain that individual parishes, such as Nashville's Christ the King and St. Henry's churches, take their direction from the bishop who heads the diocese. The lawyers believe the parishes are the property of the diocese, but officials with the Catholic Diocese of Nashville say each parish is a separate financial entity.

Posted by kshaw at June 16, 2005 07:20 AM