Sacramento bishop sues nuns over school closure
The Associated Press
Published: Friday, Jun. 12, 2009 - 10:52 am
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Catholic bishop of Sacramento and a group of financial donors are suing the nuns who shut down an all-girls high school this spring.
They're upset that the nuns' order plans to use proceeds from the sale of the school to help fund the nuns' retirement, rather than keep the money in Sacramento for Catholic education.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Sacramento County Superior Court by Bishop Jaime Soto and seven other financial contributors.
The nuns who ran Loretto High School announced in January that declining enrollment had forced them to close the school after the current year ended.
The lawsuit says the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary wants to use proceeds from the school's sale to help pay for retired nuns at the motherhouse in Wheaton, Ill. Its listing price was $10.3 million.