CHICAGO (IL)
Church Militant
by Joseph Pelletier • ChurchMilitant.com • April 7, 2016
Archdiocese has paid out $140 million in clergy sex abuse settlements
CHICAGO (ChurchMilitant.com) – The archdiocese of Chicago’s financial situation is being described as “unstable” amid sharp declines in parish and school attendance and a growing number of clerical sex abuse settlements.
In a financial statement released Tuesday the finance team for Chicago Abp. Blase Cupich admitted the archdiocese faces “continued financial pressure” and despite “recent progress, some of [their] parishes and schools have low parishioner and/or student counts, unstable operating results and unsustainable capital repair needs.” The 2015 report reveals a decrease of $1 million in parish collections compared to the prior year and a near $5 million loss at the diocesan parish center. Expenses at diocesan schools alone exceeded the tuition and fee intake by $40.2 million last year; the archdiocese of Chicago has nearly 250 elementary schools, seminaries and universities.
A further burden on the archdiocese’s wallet are the continually multiplying allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of diocesan clergy. Over the past 30 years the church in Chicago has shelled out over $140 million in abuse-related court settlements, with auditors reporting $10.8 million of that sum having been paid since June 2015. The number could also increase drastically in the near future, as a Cook County judge ruled in February an abuse victim will be allowed to petition for punitive damages on top of compensatory damages, paving the way for other victims who had previously settled to demand further recompense.
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