Louisiana: Alexandria diocese files for bankruptcy over clergy abuse claims

More than 40 Roman Catholic dioceses have filed chapter 11 claims, 28 of which had obvious indicators of abuse fallout

The number of Roman Catholic dioceses in the US which have declared federal bankruptcy amid the worldwide church's clergy abuse scandal has grown after one in central Louisiana recently filed for chapter 11 protection.

The diocese of Alexandria announced in a statement Friday it had joined more than 40 Catholic institutions in the US which have filed for bankruptcy protection. According to Penn State's law school, 28 of those bankruptcies had concluded in one of the most obvious indicators of the clergy abuse scandal's fallout.