BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) – Despite several Roman Catholic dioceses across the United States receiving at least $1.5 billion from taxpayers, the Catholic Church in Buffalo did not receive any funds due to the bankruptcy filing.
Though there was some benefit in the local church community.
"Parishes and schools are separately incorporated entities – many of which have suffered significant financial hardship as a result of Covid-19," the Diocese of Buffalo told WBEN in a statement. "Moreover, the Diocese of Buffalo, as a separate corporate entity, does not qualify for any federal government funds allocated under the PPP program given that it is Chapter 11 reorganization."
The Diocese of Buffalo also has not and said they will not apply for the next round of federal funding that is being advocated by the Biden Administration.
Some of the parishes to have received major payouts from the PPP loans includes St. Gregory the Great, which received $816,000 according to reporting from the Washington Post. According to the Associated Press, some organizations across the country received at least $17 million in paycheck aid.
Christ the King Church received between $150,000 and $350,000. You can see other recipients of PPP loans of greater than $150,000 by clicking here.
The recent Associated Press report adds to the criticism from one local attorney, who has advocated on behalf of the victims of clergy sex abuse in Buffalo.
"They're sitting on a ton of cash and they have the backing of the Vatican which has a ton more assets and then they apply for a government program that is meant to save small businesses, keep those businesses and families of their employees afloat, when they apply and they're getting over $1 billion, it seems they're missing the point, the spirit, and the cause of those PPP loans," Steve Boyd said. "This is like taking money away from small businesses that may have benefitted from it."
Boyd said the money took away funds from other communities like minority owners, who were reportedly last in line to receive the PPP loans.
While the news of the loans sent to the church may further add to the public perception of the church, Boyd doesn't think it will have an impact on payouts to survivors of abuse.
"Historically in the 19 or 20 other dioceses that have filed for bankruptcy, the diocese makes a major contribution, but an even larger contribution is made by the insurance companies who insured them for negligence, supervision, and training of their employees who would be the employees who were the abusers," Boyd said. "But this is a different kind of case. People grew up with a certain relationship with their church and the more they learn their church is so money-centric. The curtain comes back on the Wizard of Oz and you see what they really are. These folks are very much about money and when there was an opportunity to apply for the money, they didn't care how much money was in the bank…They saw free money and they were like a dog chasing after a ball."
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