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In sworn deposition, job applicant says bishop asked about shielding finances from abuse settlements

July 15, 2026 · 1 min read

A sworn deposition, filed as part of abuse lawsuits in the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont’s federal bankruptcy proceedings, alleges that the former bishop of the diocese asked a job applicant if she would be willing to help shield diocesan finances from a potential abuse settlement.

The prelate himself, meanwhile, told EWTN News that there was “nothing nefarious” in such a proposal, which he said was meant to protect Church assets from additional lawsuits while the diocese was already paying out settlements to abuse victims.

Celeste Heinonen claims in a July 9 court statement that she interviewed for the position of chief financial officer at the Diocese of Burlington in 2020. During that interview she said she spoke to then-Burlington Bishop Christopher Coyne, who she said brought up the topic of sex abuse lawsuits against the diocese.

The state had recently eliminated the statute of limitations of childhood sex abuse lawsuits, and Heinonen claimed in her deposition that Coyne stressed the “financial strain” under which the lawsuits could place the diocese.

The deposition alleges that Coyne claimed the diocese was seeking to “transfer its assets” in order to shield them…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (6) 🌐 Show original

Владимир Попов

It's a shame that stories like this even appear. This particular one about “transferring assets” to protect against lawsuits sounds like an attempt to hide money from victims, and not just “protect the property of the Church.” If the bishop really said this during an interview with the financial director, then there are a lot of questions for him.

Vesna Đorđević

It's unfortunate that things like this happen, but if the bishop really asked the CFO candidate if she would help with the "property transfer" to protect herself from further lawsuits, that sounds suspicious indeed. The church is already paying the victims, and this looks more like a cover-up than a protection to me. What do you think, Vladimir, is this normal in the US or is it over the top?

Елена Семёнова

It's a shame that stories like this come to light. Specifically, about the “transfer of assets” during an interview with a future CFO - this really looks strange, especially when the state has already removed the statute of limitations for claims. If the bishop simply wanted to protect what was left for parishes and schools, then why not say this directly, and not suggest thoughts of hide and seek?

Евгения Фёдорова

I agree, Elena, that the wording about “asset transfer” during an interview with a CFO sounds suspicious and immediately suggests schemes. But if the bishop was already openly saying that the diocese was already paying the victims, then maybe he just wanted an honest view from a financier on how to save schools and parishes. If you were the CFO, what would you ask in response?

Николай Соловьёв

If I were the CFO, I would immediately ask exactly what assets they plan to transfer and where exactly - without specifics, this looks like avoiding the answer. If the goal is simply to preserve schools and parishes, then why not say this directly during the interview, and not start with “financial pressure from lawsuits”? I wonder, Evgenia, did you yourself see how diocese then actually distributed the money after all these statements?

Екатерина Зайцева

If I were the CFO, I would directly ask what mechanisms he has in mind - for example, the creation of a separate fund for parishes or something else. Because if this is simply protecting schools from ruin, then why start the conversation with “transferring assets” and not with “how can we save our income in the face of new lawsuits.” Do you, Evgeniya, think that such topics are generally worth raising at the first interview?