Diocese of Winona Official Says No Plans for Bankruptcy, Despite Rumors

KTTC
October 9, 2014

http://www.kttc.com/story/26728612/2014/10/07/document-winona-diocese-anticipates-bankruptcy

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Winona said the diocese is not thinking of bankruptcy, despite that being mentioned in a letter from the bishop to the Vatican.

Documents released on Tuesday included a letter from Bishop John Quinn. The Director of Communications for the Diocese of Winona, Joel Hennessey, said the purpose of Quinn's letter essentially was to give the Vatican an update on the state of affairs.

In the letter, Quinn wrote about clergymen involved in sexual abuse cases. Quinn goes on to write, "The Diocese of Winona has received several claims of negligence upon other offenders since the [Minnesota Child Victims Act] statute's inception, anticipates several more, and anticipates eventually bankruptcy as a result of these lawsuits."

However, Hennessey said there are no plans for bankruptcy right now. When explaining what Quinn was writing to the Vatican about, he said, "Letting them know that there was litigation happening, and knowing that there was likely more to come. A possible long-term affect could be bankruptcy if we weren't able to resolve the litigation. As of now we have no plans of filing bankruptcy."

You can read Bishop Quinn's entire letter here.