MONTANA
Montana Public Radio
[with audio]
By DAN BOYCE
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena is filing for bankruptcy protection as part of a settlement in lawsuits over child sex abuse. It’s the 11th diocese in the nation to seek bankruptcy after similar claims.
Allegations against The Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena stem from a period between the late 1930s and the 1970s. Hundreds of victims say clergy members sexually abused them at that time while the church covered it up. Most of the clergy implicated in the suit have since died. None remain in active ministry.
The $15 million settlement will be paid mostly by the church’s insurance. Diocese spokesman Dan Bartleson said the bankruptcy is necessary for the church to survive moving forward while still attempting to make amends for what happened in the past.
“We’re in a situation where we are cutting back personnel, were stopping building projects, we’re cutting back programs,” he said.
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