LA Archdiocese Considers Large-Scale Fundraising Drive Despite Priest Abuse Scandal
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Is now this the right time for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles to begin a fundraising drive?
Despite renewed public outrage over documents showing a cover-up of the actions of pedophile priests, a study on how to shore up the church's finances is going forward.
Guidance in Giving, a consulting firm, has reportedly been hired by the Archdiocese to examine the feasibility of a large-scale fundraiser to gather perhaps $200 million to help bolster its financial base, KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports.
LA Arch. Fundraiser
The Archdiocese has been hard hit by hundreds of millions of dollars in payout claims to victims of sexual abuse by clergy members. The diocese has an estimated deficit of $80 million.
Despite the recent troubles, some of the church's five million local parishioners are ready to open their wallets.
"If we can trust our souls in their leadership, we always trust our money, how they spend it," one man told KNX.
While there is no indication that the fundraiser will be used to pay off the debts incurred by the scandal, there is the possibility the money could be put towards support for pastoral priorities and building schools and churches.
