Detroit Archdiocese Restructures To Avoid Abuse Lawsuits
Cardinal Adam Maida is a canon lawyer as well as a civil lawyer. His plan to make individual parishes independent entities will help him avoid abuse litigation resulting from sexual abuse by Catholic priests of the Detroit Archdiocese. Detroit, like other archdioceses and dioceses around the country, are structured as a corporation sole. This rare corporate structure gives the archbishop or bishop complete, unquestioned power and control over all aspects of parish finances, property and administration. In essence, everything belongs to the bishop.