LA Archdiocese used cemetery funds to pay for abuse settlements

In order to help pay for a $660 million settlement for the victims of molestation by Catholic priests, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles moved $115 million from the fund for cemetery maintenance, reported the Los Angeles Times.

The money in the cemetery fund comes from the families of those buried by the church or kept in church mausoleums — families who “have contributed to a dedicated account for the perpetual care of graves, crypts and grounds since the 1890s,” reported the LAT.

Those families were not notified that 88 percent of the fund was being used for the settlements, and the church did not mention the funding source in public statements.