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	Archdiocese of Portland Hands over Deeds to 124 Parishes By Nancy Haught The Oregonian April 12, 2008 http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/index.ssf/base/living/1207967122228820.xml&coll=7 The Archdiocese of Portland is sorting out who owns hundreds of millions of dollars in property in western Oregon -- and handing the deeds to its 124 parishes. The change is required by the bankruptcy settlement last April between the archdiocese and claimants. But a critic considers it a pointless maneuver meant to protect the archdiocese from future lawsuits. Parishes will receive the legal titles of their real property, including churches, schools and meetings halls by the end of the month. Until now, almost all parish real estate deeds were in the name of the archdiocese. During two-year bankruptcy proceedings, the archdiocese argued that parish real estate could not be sold for the settlement because it was held in trust for the parishes. Critics say the new structure creates the impression that the property is safe from future lawsuits. "Once again, the church attempts to deceive the rank and file into believing they have some control," said Bill Crane, director of Oregon Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. "At the end of the day, when all is said and done, it's the bishops and the hierarchy who do." Archbishop John Vlazny outlined the plan in a March 14 letter to parishioners recently distributed in churches. "Most parishioners will not notice any difference in the life of the parish as a result of the restructuring," he wrote. The restructuring is one of the last requirements that the archdiocese must fulfill in the $75 million bankruptcy settlement that provided financial relief for about 175 people who say they were sexually abused by priests. The main points of the archdiocese plan: Each parish becomes a nonprofit member corporation and holds the real estate deeds to all its property.
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