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| Moncton Archbishop Valéry Vienneau said he is very worried about the finances of the church. |
CBC News found at least 56 lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Church in New Brunswick that are still in front of the courts, and this despite an extensive conciliation process that was conducted a few years ago.
Between 2012 and 2014, the church hired retired judge Michel Bastarache to talk to victims confidentially.
The Moncton archdiocese ended up paying $10.6 million to 109 victims, and the diocese of Bathurst $5.5 million to 90 victims.
It's estimated victims received between $15,000 and $300,000, depending on the severity of the abuse, how old they were when it started, and how many years it lasted.
What followed were major cutbacks by the church.
In Moncton, diocesan staff was slashed by half, from 19 before 2013 to fewer than 10 now. Only two staff members were kept on full time.
The diocesan centre in Dieppe, which used to be the home of the archbishop, was sold.
Virtually no money is left in the church's coffers.
"We sold things, and now we're at a point … we've taken all the money that we have," said Moncton Archbishop Valéry Vienneau.
"We had money — the diocese had money, but doesn't anymore."
Financial information from the Canada Revenue Agency reveals the Moncton archdiocese has been operating at a deficit for two of the past four years, and has no declared land or building assets. (more...)
Send the bill to George Soros - it's rightfully his.
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