PPP Audit New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) – Church abuse survivors demand an audit from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, after it received millions in small business loans meant as COVID-19 relief.
It comes not long after the Archdiocese filed Chapter 11 to reorganize its finances, citing the strain of clergy sex abuse settlements. Yet, Archdiocese reps say they never applied for those funds.
In documents released from the Department of the Treasury, Friday, the Small Business Association lists hundreds of companies or organizations that have received $150,000 or more in Paycheck Protection Program money.
Among the biggest scoring businesses was the Catholic Church.
“I don’t think it’s fair that we have to fund a corporation that doesn’t pay for simple things like property tax,” said Kevin Bourgeois.
Bourgeois is a representative with the Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests.
“An ordinary Catholic who is outraged that a tax exempt corporation, like the Catholic Church, and the United States received one and a half billion dollars of taxpayer money,” Bourgeois said.
Nationwide, the Catholic Church was reported to have received $1.4 billion in small business loans through the CARES Act. Religious organizations are, ordinarily, ineligible to receive money from the SBA but when COVID hit, Congress made an exception.