San Diego diocesan paper to reduce number of issues, staff positions

Published: 2007-11-19

SAN DIEGO (CNS) -- The Southern Cross, newspaper of the San Diego Diocese, which over the last decade has been recognized repeatedly as being among the nation's best Catholic publications, is reducing its publishing schedule, page count, circulation and staffing in part because of the massive cost of settling cases of sexual abuse brought against the diocese. Other factors include high printing and mailing costs, according to an announcement on the cutbacks. Founded as an independent Catholic newspaper in 1912, it became the official newspaper of the diocese in 1937. It will reduce its publication schedule from twice a month to monthly. The paper will eliminate two staff positions. It will reduce its average page count from 32 to 24, all in addition to an already completed reduction in circulation from more than 30,000 to roughly 25,000. The reductions are among a host of cuts being made around the diocese following the Sept. 7 settlement of lawsuits with 144 victims of sexual abuse by priests that occurred between 1938 and 1993.

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