The Diocese of Buffalo, New York, reportedly issued a letter to diocesan priests in March walking back its request that parishes cover $80 million of its $150 million settlement with clergy sex abuse survivors and now asking churches to contribute a lower percentage of their assets.
Local outlet WIVB reported that Bishop Michael Fisher said in the letter that the diocese has revised its own contribution to the settlement and increased its payout from $30 million to $40 million.
While parishes had previously been asked to contribute specific amounts based on their unrestricted cash and investment assets, as Zeale News previously reported, the formula for working out how much parishes should now contribute has changed slightly. According to WIVB, parishes will be asked to provide an amount based on their total available cash.
“We regard this as a more equitable approach in keeping with essential canonical consideration,” Bishop Fisher said in the letter, according to WIVB.
Zeale News previously reported that the diocese is closing and merging more than half of its parishes, citing declining Mass attendance, a priest shortage, and the cost of reaching a settlement with the survivors. WIVB reported that merging parishes will combine their financial assets and be treated as one parish, meaning the diocese will only ask for one specific amount toward the settlement.
The outlet added that the remaining settlement money is expected to come from affiliate organizations, real estate sales, and the diocese’s insurers.