Hundreds of clergy sexual abuse victims raised the stakes in their clash with the Catholic Church yesterday, with victims’ lawyers claiming that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has worked for decades to keep some $1.7 billion in assets beyond their reach, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The Twin Cities archdiocese, home to more than 180 parishes and 825,000 parishioners, has been in bankruptcy for more than a year, facing liabilities stemming from about 450 people who say they were sexually abused by clergy members, often decades ago. A judge ordered victims, the archdiocese and its insurance carriers to mediation more than a year ago, but talks failed to produce a settlement. Now victims are looking to force the archdiocese to dip into assets — like parishes and charitable foundations stocked with cash — they say the archdiocese has shielded using a legal playbook more often associated with large, for-profit corporations. In court papers filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Minneapolis yesterday, the victims, who are seeking compensation from the archdiocese, said that its overall net worth, including property that is legally distinct but alleged to be controlled by the archdiocese, is about $1.7 billion. In bankruptcy court papers filed last year, the archdiocese estimated its total assets at about $45 million.
