WILMINGTON (DE)
Philadelphia Inquirer
Joseph N. DiStefano
Lawmakers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are weighing plans to lift the statute of limitations so people who say they were molested by Catholic priests years ago can sue local bishops and get paid for their pain.
Bracing for millions in potential claims, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and other regional church bodies may seek federal bankruptcy protection, like broke businesses or homeowners.
So who will pay? And whose problems will this fix?
And why care, if you don’t go there? As a group, Catholic parishes, schools and colleges, hospitals and agencies rank with the University of Pennsylvania and its health system as this region’s biggest employers. Church schools and social programs save state and local property taxpayers millions. A financial collapse of the church would be felt beyond its sanctuaries.
So let’s look at what happened in Delaware, which changed its law to allow civil suits alleging old sexual abuse of minors. Hundreds of claims drove the Diocese of Wilmington to file for bankruptcy in 2009.
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