Catholic Diocese of El Paso: Chapter 11 Amid Abuse Litigation
The Catholic Diocese of El Paso filed chapter 11 in Texas to address clergy abuse claims, operating deficits, and disputes over restricted assets and insurance coverage.
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The Catholic Diocese of El Paso filed chapter 11 on March 6, 2026, after clergy-abuse litigation in New Mexico and recurring deficits pushed the Diocese into bankruptcy court in El Paso. Public coverage on the petition date tied the filing to potential judgments from clergy-sexual-abuse lawsuits and to recurring operating deficits.
The complex-case notice says the filing is the first Catholic diocese chapter 11 case in Texas and raises questions involving liability, insurance, and canon law. Gregory Watters' declaration says about 25% of assets are donor-restricted and about 48% are functionally restricted. Catholic-sector coverage repeated the Diocese's description of very limited financial resources.
| Debtor(s) | Catholic Diocese of El Paso |
| Court | U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Texas (El Paso Division) |
| Case Number | 26-30311 |
| Petition Date | March 6, 2026 |
| Judge | Hon. Christopher G. Bradley |
| 341 Meeting | April 14, 2026 |
| Proofs of Claim Due | July 13, 2026 |
Why the filing followed a New Mexico litigation wave
The Diocese was already facing a broader litigation wave by mid-2025. Eight Southern New Mexico abuse lawsuits filed in July 2025 expanded the public case count, and local coverage that month said the new cases targeted both the El Paso and Las Cruces dioceses. In Bishop Mark J. Seitz's declaration, he says the Diocese was defending 12 lawsuits brought by 18 plaintiffs over allegations dating roughly from 1956 to 1982.
Church-sector reporting connected the filing to claims filed under New Mexico's lookback law. Seitz says the Diocese also faced evidentiary problems because many clergy, witnesses, and administrators are dead and records have been lost or degraded, while recent New Mexico verdicts included at least one above $400 million.
The Diocese also maintains a public list of clergy it says were credibly accused of abuse. The page links Bishop Mark Seitz's statement and FAQ responses alongside the list.
The public response started immediately. In petition-day television remarks, Seitz said the Diocese faced 12 lawsuits and sought bankruptcy protection to deal with them in one forum. A lawyer representing some plaintiffs said the filing paused the pending state-court cases and shifted the dispute into chapter 11, while Seitz said in post-filing comments about treating abuse victims fairly that the Diocese was not using bankruptcy to avoid the claims.
What the first-day papers say about money
Watters says the Diocese had about $14.96 million of revenue and about $15.36 million of expenses for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, producing a loss of about $401,718. Seitz separately says the Diocese had about $1.64 million of net income in FY 2023-2024 and a loss of about $386,621 in FY 2022-2023. Filing-day coverage also described potential judgments in priest-abuse cases and astronomical potential judgments as part of the Diocese's public explanation for the filing.
Watters says annual mission-district support of about $2.5 million to $4.5 million has not been enough to absorb legal costs and structural operating pressure. He also says about 25% of total assets are donor-restricted and about 48% are functionally restricted across funds for seminarian formation, priest retirement, rural parishes, charitable programs, and endowments. Another filing-day local report likewise framed the case as a chapter 11 filing meant to keep operations running during the case while the Diocese addresses abuse liabilities in one court-supervised forum.
The accessible filing text identifies one secured lender. Watters says WestStar Bank holds a perfected lien arising from a Nov. 4, 2025 term loan secured by a pledged money-market account ending in 6985 and related proceeds. The cash collateral motion shows why that account became a day-one issue, even though the accessible filing text does not disclose the term loan's principal amount.
What the Diocese says it is trying to preserve
Seitz says the Diocese entered chapter 11 while continuing ministries, schools, and charitable work across West Texas. The Texas State Historical Association's history of the Diocese dates its establishment to 1914, and Seitz says it now spans 10 West Texas counties, 26,686 square miles, 58 parishes, and 13 mission churches serving about 686,037 Catholics.
Seitz also describes El Paso as a Home Mission Diocese, meaning it cannot fund basic pastoral services without outside help. Bishop Seitz's border and migrant ministry had already made the Diocese a visible part of El Paso's immigration response before the bankruptcy filing.
Watters says nine Diocese-affiliated schools educate about 2,000 students but are separate legal entities and not property of the estate. He also says the Diocese employs 47 laypersons and 4 diocesan priests, plus one independent contractor handling survivor assistance and 11 seminarians receiving stipends. His declaration adds that the insurance program covers 58 parishes, 7 schools, and other Catholic organizations, with about $1.48 million of annual non-health insurance cost, much of it reimbursed by affiliated entities.
How the case is being administered
The Stretto application says confidential claims handling is essential because the case involves abuse survivors, accused individuals, employees, minors, and other protected persons. The application says Stretto is needed to maintain the claims register, receive proofs of claim electronically, and keep identifying information out of ordinary public case workflows.
The petition's corporate resolutions authorize Husch Blackwell as bankruptcy counsel, Levatino|Pace as special outside general counsel, Harney Partners as financial advisor, Captive Minds Marketing for notice and claims-bar-date advertising, and Stretto as claims and noticing agent. The interim compensation motion proposes monthly fee summaries, a 10-day objection window, and payment of 80% of fees plus 100% of expenses if no objection is made.
The 341 notice sets April 14, 2026 for the meeting of creditors and July 13, 2026 as the proofs-of-claim deadline. An ad hoc survivor-committee counsel motion appeared on the docket on day one, and the omnibus-hearing papers put WestStar Bank, the Texas Attorney General, abuse plaintiffs' counsel, and the ad hoc survivor group into the opening service structure.
The early public docket showed the order regarding emergency consideration of first-day matters and mailing certificates, but not separate substantive interim orders on cash collateral, insurance, wages, or cash management.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the bankruptcy in Texas if the abuse suits are in New Mexico? The petition lists the Diocese's principal office in El Paso, Texas, while the New Mexico litigation wave and Seitz's declaration describe the pending abuse suits in New Mexico.
Are the Diocese-affiliated schools part of the bankruptcy estate? No. Watters says the nine Diocese-affiliated schools are separate legal entities and are not property of the estate.
What dated milestones are on the docket now? The current dated milestones are the April 14, 2026 meeting of creditors and the July 13, 2026 proofs-of-claim deadline. If the proposed interim-compensation procedures are approved as filed, the first fee period would end June 30, 2026 and the first interim fee application would be due Aug. 14, 2026.
For more early-stage case coverage, see ElevenFlo's bankruptcy blog.
This article was researched and written with AI assistance, using court filings, public records, and news sources. AI-generated content can contain errors. Verify all information against primary sources before relying on it. This is not legal or financial advice. Read our full disclaimer.