Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, Calif., described in detail the financial situation of the diocese in two recent letters to parishioners that were read during weekend Masses. The most recent letter, read during weekend Masses on Sept. 7 and 8, announced the diocese’s plans to consider filing for bankruptcy. The diocese has been making payments stemming from multiple lawsuits over sexual abuse by members of the clergy and is running out of funds for future settlements. By 2010, it had settled 22 sexual abuse lawsuits at a cost of $18.7 million. Currently, the diocese is making payments on three lawsuits and has one suit pending. The decision facing Stockton comes on the heels of the announcement on Aug. 31 of plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Diocese of Gallup, N.M. If the Stockton Diocese goes through with declaring bankruptcy, it will be the 10th diocese to do so as a result of the costs of lawsuits over sexual abuse by clergy. In 2004 the Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., was the first to file for bankruptcy.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

July 16 marks 80 years since the first atomic bomb was detonated. The specter of nuclear annihilation has been with us ever since.
James T. KeaneJuly 15, 2025
David Corenswet in a scene from "Superman" (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
The first time we see the titular hero of James Gunn’s new film “Superman,” he doesn’t descend from the heavens. He plummets.
John DoughertyJuly 15, 2025
If we imagine ourselves as satisfying a God who will “give us” things only if we do the “right things,” then our relationship with God becomes less a friendship and more a chore.
James Martin, S.J.July 15, 2025
For 13 years, Josep Lluís Iriberri, S.J. has guided pilgrims along the same trail St. Ignatius walked over 500 years ago.