Briefly...

From The Associated Press

LA Archdiocese selling a convent
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles is selling a convent that has housed an order of nuns for more than four decades to help pay for a record-breaking sex abuse settlement.

Three nuns from the Sisters of Bethany order have until Dec. 31 to move out, though an earlier departure “would be acceptable as well,” the archdiocese’s vicar general said in a letter to the nuns.

“We’re just so hurt by this,” said Sister Angela Escalera, the order’s local superior. “And what hurts the most is what the money will be used for, to help pay for the pedophile priests. We have to sacrifice our home for that?”

In July, the archdiocese announced a record $660 million settlement with clergy abuse victims. Of that, as much as $373 million will be paid by the archdiocese, with the rest coming from insurers and various religious orders.

To help cover the bill the archdiocese plans to sell up to 50 non-parish properties, including its administrative headquarters. The convent is the first property outside of those central offices to be identified as among those to be sold.

The Santa Barbara County assessor’s office lists the convent property’s value at $97,746, though it will likely sell for more. Smaller, older homes nearby start at about $700,000, according to the local real estate Web sites.

Escalera said the sisters have been overwhelmed by offers of help, including temporary housing.

Top Presbyterian officer announces retirement
LOUISVILLE, Ky. —The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick will retire when his term as the top official of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) expires next year.

Kirkpatrick has been elected three times since 1996 as stated clerk, the top church officer for the 2.3 million-member denomination.

He plans to spend more time with family and as president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, which includes more than 200 Protestant denominations.

“While this work has been a great blessing, it has also taken a significant amount of time and energy and has been accompanied with more than a fair share of stresses and strains,” Kirkpatrick said. “A change in my life patterns is probably in order.”

The stated clerk of the denomination is responsible for such matters as church property, research, church legislative sessions and legal matters.

Some conservatives have criticized Kirkpatrick for a continued membership decline in the denomination and his handling of the ongoing controversy over homosexuality in the church.

Declining donations prompted Kirkpatrick’s office to announce plans to cut seven positions. He has acknowledged some of the decline is due to congregations withholding funds out of protest but has said the churches’ economic struggles are a bigger factor.