Judge Criticizes Archdiocese For Relying On Legal Notices

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge has criticized the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for relying on legal notices to inform sex-abuse victims about an impending deadline for filing claims.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Kressel lamented during a hearing Thursday that nobody reads the legal notices, which run deep inside newspapers in classified sections. He says the notices need to be far more visible.

Archdiocese attorney Richard Anderson says the church is in the process of moving the ads to more widely read parts of the newspapers.

The notices inform victims that they have until Aug. 3 to file claims in the archdiocese's bankruptcy case.

The judge also approved formation of a committee to better represent the interests of nearly 200 parishes. The archdiocese holds millions of dollars in parish funds.

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