Gambling with the future of parishes

State News - StatesmanJournal.com: "Portland has taken a huge gamble, said Patrick Schiltz, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. If the gamble pays off, it will extinguish their legal liabilities, and they'll get back on the right financial track.

Otherwise, Schiltz said, the church could be forced to sell off parishes and reveal information that could propel future litigation, potentially hurting thousands of parishioners."