Spokane diocese, that is. Sort of:

I’m very concerned, obviously, about the fact that frankly every month this debtor goes further and further in the hole in terms of cash," U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Patricia Williams said during a hearing this week.

"That’s a fact of life that is getting worse every single month and I ask myself periodically, you know, how many churches are we going to have to sell just because we can’t get to plan confirmation?" Williams said.

Williams wondered whether churches or other diocese assets may have to be sold just to pay the mounting costs of the case.

Diocese attorney Shaun Cross said that lawyers in the case would never ask that a church be sold to pay their fees.

The diocese has about $2 million in cash, according to its most recent financial statement. It’s unclear how much it owes, but legal fees alone add up to $1.4 million, according to the diocese.

It has not paid lawyers in at least two months.

Later in the article, interesting hints of discord and disagreement between diocesan lawyers and those representing individual parishes…

More from Beliefnet and our partners
Close Ad