The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester (N.Y.), facing potentially huge judgments for past sexual abuse by its priests and other ministers, filed for bankruptcy yesterday, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reported. The diocese filed a petition for chapter 11 reorganization in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Rochester at about 9:30 a.m. The petition estimates the diocese's assets as $50 million to $100 million —and its financial liabilities as $100 million to $500 million. Rochester’s diocese becomes the first of New York state’s eight dioceses, and the 20th nationwide, to seek protection from creditors in bankruptcy court because of financial fallout from the Catholic Church’s decades-long child sexual abuse scandal. The intent of the diocese's chapter 11 filing such as this is to reorganize the diocese’s finances, marshal funds to pay fair compensation to sex-abuse accusers and create a plan for the diocese to continue operations much as they were before. In a statement filed in bankruptcy court, Bishop Salvatore Matano confirmed the diocese sought chapter 11 protection "in order to respond to claims stemming from the Child Victims Act in an equitable and comprehensive manner, and to reorganize the financial affairs of the Diocese in order to permit it to continue to fulfill its ministries to the Catholic faithful."
