A new angle:

To protect Vermont’s 128 parishes and missions from "unjust attack," Burlington Bishop Salvatore R. Matano has placed each under a charitable trust.

That means the titles to all parishes, once in the name of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington Inc., are now in the name of the parishes with the bishop as trustee.

"We are doing this to preserve parish assets as parish assets," said Father John McDermott, chancellor. "The bishop and the diocese have a guardian role for the assets and must assure that they are used for the intentions which were the very source of their establishment."

In a letter to all parishioners in the diocese, Bishop Matano said the action was taken "to protect these parish facilities from unjust attack and to ensure that the parishes have the freedom to continue their ministries and that the monies raised to support these entities are not diverted to or transferred for other purposes inconsistent with the charitable mission of the parish and the diocese."