Clergy abuse survivors frustrated by New Orleans archdiocese's protracted bankruptcy

"An image of his great-grandmother stayed with James Adams for years and strengthened his faith: she was withered, nearly blind, touching his cheeks when they sat together, as if the feel of his face gave her sight. A working woman whose husband, a police officer, killed himself, she raised four children; her faith was a rock against life's travails. She died at 98, when Adams was 28, about to marry."

"Many years later, in 2020, Adams, a New Orleans banker, was president of the Catholic Community Foundation, the archdiocese's fundraising arm, when Archbishop Gregory Aymond ousted him as he's recounted from a witness stand in court and in multiple media interviews. Overnight, Adams became a church enemy because of what a priest did to him as a boy. His story mirrors the legal saga that has tarnished Aymond's career."

James Adams kept an image of his withered, nearly blind great-grandmother, whose faith shaped his early life. She raised four children after her husband, a police officer, killed himself, and died at 98 when Adams was 28. In 2020 Adams was president of the Catholic Community Foundation when Archbishop Gregory Aymond removed him after allegations surfaced that a priest had abused Adams as a boy. The New Orleans archdiocese concealed long-running clergy sexual abuse under Aymond and predecessors, leading to bankruptcy filings, extensive lawsuits, and media scrutiny. The archdiocese lists 79 accused clerics; independent reporting counts far more.

Read at www.theguardian.com