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[larry]

Roman Catholic Church is Abusing Bankruptcy Laws:

Lawyers Suing Vatican Call For A Public Audit



The Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon recently announced plans to file for bankruptcy due to millions of dollars in potential debt to sexual abuse survivors. Now the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky and others are lining up to do the same. However, the Vatican and its myriad branches: Dioceses, Orders (Franciscans, Jesuits, etc.), and tens of thousands of tax-free organizations all answerable to Rome control multi-billions of dollars in property, artworks, and hard assets like gold, cash and securities.



Last year former Governor Frank Keating likened those who sexually abuse and cover up in the name of the Church as Mafia. He was right on the money; the real Mafia has infiltrated the Catholic Church. Just one example is the Vatican Bank, nominally owned by the Pope. The Vatican Bank operating with diplomatic immunity has been mired in one criminal scandal after another since it's current incarnation in 1942. Now it faces not only our lawsuit (Alperin vs. Vatican Bank) seeking stolen Second World War assets but also a nearly $1 billion dollar lawsuit by five state insurance commissioners for money laundering in connection with convicted swindler Martin Frankel. The number three man at the Vatican, Cardinal Sodano is implicated that conspiracy.



In the United States, the Archdiocese and Orders have covered up crimes and enabled a legion of pedophiles. The so-called lavender mafia now seeks to hide behind the United States bankruptcy courts. But should an enterprise infiltrated by criminals be allowed to shield themselves in this manner? The answer is a palpable NO; instead the entire Vatican apparatus should be stripped of its non-profit status here unless it submits to a public audit. We guarantee parishioners will be shocked when they see where the money went and that the Church's abuses of trust will end in short order once their full extent is revealed.



The lawsuit, Alperin v. Vatican Bank, was filed in November 1999 by Serb, Jewish, and Ukrainian Holocaust survivors against the Vatican Bank seeking return of Nazi loot from wartime Yugoslavia has run into an apparent wall of silence. Tom Easton and Jonathan Levy represent 28 plaintiffs suing the Vatican Bank, the case is currently pending in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

[gedalyahu]

The Catholic Church is much bigger than the Vatican. The institutional arm of the Church is one thing and all the faithful -from the pope to the last believer is quite another thing. The Catholic church does not consist of administration only; there is a whole world of honest practising individuals. What you allege about the Vatican is conceivably true - its the bane of all administrations and institution in general. Honest Catholics do not condone any corruption in their Church ; its not the first or the last time we hear of such reprehensible things as you portray. We are all human and therefor subject to weakness. Because some one becomes Pope or bishop or priest does not make them automatically holy; they have to work to become so like everyone else. In spite of all this Catholics are fond of their Church and strive to keep her honest. Now, more then ever before the sense of the faithful is much keener because significantly the institution is dealing with more educated and questioning grass roots.

[wendlesora]

Thanks YUL for assessing my response well. I think you too in your own way wish to see less glaring anomalies in what otherwise could be a great Church.

[max]

Yes. Thank you for asking.

Cheers :-)

[bergh39]

All religions should be forced ot open their books and be subject to the same laws as any other business. To give them immunity is in effect making a law supporting religion over public interests.

[winfrid12]

if nostradamus is correct,
this is the 2nd to last pope.
he predicted the fall of the vatican
to a muslim horde
that will invade europe and over run it.
this will happen in a generation
and there will be no bank to worry about.

[iden]

not sure where you are getting your statistics,are they from a partial or impartial source? secondly if this and the other questions you posted are verified they will be rectified appropiately by the church, just as ex pope john paul apologised for the mistakes of the past in his papcay reign and lifetime,may he rest in christs peace. would you like to include just how much the roman catholic church donates to charity and what the church provides on a world wide basis daily? or are you simply picking and choosing isolated topics to bring down the church christ gave us all? did you include that the catholic church is responsible for the set up of most charities and hospitals to cater for those in need,prior to any such institution being founded? if what you say is true and found to be true in a court of law then the church is at fault,but that doesn't negate the truth of the church regarding the truths about god and of faith. it is a scandal,look around all the churches and tell me if you come across a scandal in one if not all the churches you look at . i trust in the church god gave us. the mistakes of men are of men. the truths of the church regarding the church are the truths of god and of faith. individual law suits do not reflect upon the whole church but a discrepency with an individual diocese. the catholic church has over 1 billion followers and a sinle diocese does not negate the truth of the church for the faithful. does something need to be done? yes but what that something is depends on the situation. again singling out specific cases is wrong in denouncing what christ gave us. the church has sinners as does every other church under the umbrella of christianity. with the catholic church we have the promise and assurance of jesus, it will be guided by teh holy spirit and taht the gates of hell shall not prevail upon it. I AM PROUD TO BE CATHOLIC AND I AM PROUD OF MY CHURCH. the earthly law has not voiced its judgement,why are you?

[parnell]

Yes, I am. The Church would not file for bankruptcy relief if it had money.
May the Lord's peace be with you!

[darce]

With all its rights and wrongs, with all its consistencies and inconsistencies, I am still proud of being Catholic. I will never trade it for anything else.

[laureano97]

I am a Wiccan.
In my opinion any religion which accepts money from their devotees should be abolished!
)o(