Bishops approve $129.4 million budget for 2005

Published: 2004-11-15

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops Nov. 15 approved a 2005 budget of $129.4 million for their national conference. It is 1.8 percent higher than the previous year's budget for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops but does not involve an increase in diocesan assessments. Archbishop James P. Keleher of Kansas City, Kan., chairman of the bishops' Committee on Budget and Finance, said the higher 2005 budget results mostly from expected rises in fringe benefits for USCCB employees, basically health and pension benefits. Much of the 2005 budget increase will be covered by using interest from conference investments, said Archbishop Keleher. In response to a question regarding costs for clergy sex abuse studies and audits, the archbishop said that the John Jay College study, which collected data on the nature and scope of clergy abuse from 1950 to 2002, cost $300,000, and a possible second study using the data could cost $100,000.

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