CV NEWS FEED // The Diocese of Buffalo may sell the University of Buffalo’s Newman Center in an attempt to raise $100 million for child sex abuse settlements.
The University of Buffalo’s (UB) student publication The Spectrum reported that the diocese is currently facing almost 900 claims of child sex abuse, resulting in hefty settlement payments for the already bankrupt diocese.
The University of Buffalo’s (UB) Newman Center for Catholic campus ministry appeared on a list of 22 diocesan properties that are being considered for sale, which includes two other Newman Centers, a seminary, a rectory, and a parish, among others.
Joe Martone, the diocese’s communication director, told The Spectrum that it is unclear which properties will actually be sold.
“It really depends a lot on how bankruptcy proceedings continue,” he said. “In the diocese, we’ve asked our parishes to take a look at their underutilized real estate and see what may be available for potentially being put on the market, to raise funds for the eventual settlement for the victims of sexual abuse. So it’s really unclear.”
According to local outlet 7 News, Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher previously called the possible sale of diocesan property one of many “moments of reorientation” that are “painful in the short term, but are meant to help us bear fruit in the long term.”
Newman Centers function as Catholic ministries on secular college campuses. UB’s Newman Center opened in 1936, but the current building was constructed in 2009 for roughly $2.7 million.
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