The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, New York has filed for bankruptcy (https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nynb.390338/gov.uscourts.nynb.390338.6.0.pdf?) saying that can’t afford to pay for the ongoing and future civil claims of child abuse that were pervasive in the church for decades.
OK seize all their assets (buildings etc.), sell them off and p[ut the money in trust for the future.
@NorthernInvader Perhaps they can get a loan from Rome? I don't understand how finances in the Catholic church might work. #NotAnExpert
@danielbsmith every diocese is set up as a separate legal entity such that The Holy See is not responsible for any of their debts. If not they would have been sued into oblivion by now, and that's a shame - simply one of the evilest institutions in history.
@NorthernInvader That actually seems like a reasonable business decision. Don't most businesses do the same? I know insurance companies tend to do that.
@danielbsmith Well there you go - churches should not be businesses, but that's what they've become. They profess to be about Jesus but they ignore the whole throwing the money changers out of the temple stuff he did. In the case of the Catholic church they take their orders through a hierarchy ultimately controlled by the pope. That individual and hierarchy should be legally responsible for everything that each diocese does.
@NorthernInvader You won't find me disagreeing with anything in this response. I actually do hope the Pope makes some changes. These people need to be held accountable and there should be no church protections for their actions. Period.
@NorthernInvader They can hold Church via Zoom.
@NorthernInvader Interesting. I do have to ask if this organization put money into the Ponzi scheme under Madoff several years back and lost it. I'm just wondering why they don't have the money because they should.