Diocese of El Paso files for bankruptcy due to abuse settlements and ‘very limited’ funds

The Diocese of El Paso will file for bankruptcy amid more than a dozen lawsuits over allegations of sexual abuse, Bishop Mark Seitz said this week. In a Friday message to the Texas diocese, Seitz said the diocese is facing 18 pending lawsuits for alleged sexual abuse that occurred between 1956-1982. The alleged abuse occurred, Seitz said, “long before society or the Church was aware of the presence and extent of child abuse taking place within its institutions” and “long before the Diocese implemented the strong child protection policies and practices that exist today to guard against these crimes.”