PORTLAND (OR)
Corvallis Gazette-Times
By WILLIAM McCALL
Associated press writer
PORTLAND — Attorneys for priest sex abuse victims argued in a federal court Tuesday it’s absurd for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland to claim that federal bankruptcy law can be trumped by church law.
The victims are asking U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris to rule that church buildings, land and schools could be sold by the archdiocese to settle millions of dollars in sex abuse claims, if necessary.
But the archdiocese insists that property belongs to individual parishes, and selling off churches or schools would be an unfair burden and violate church law.
Albert Kennedy, representing the victims, said the archdiocese is trying to limit its liability by raising issues of religious freedom after filing for bankruptcy protection.
“This was a voluntary act for the purely secular purpose of avoiding jury trials and avoiding liability for child sex abuse by priests,’’ Kennedy told Perris at a hearing on motions to declare the property can be used to pay bankruptcy claims.