Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The Diocese of Tucson sold 83 church properties at an auction Saturday in an effort to raise $3.2 million toward abuse-claim settlements.
The sales, conducted with Bankruptcy Court approval, will only be final June 23. Officials will not know how much revenue the auction produced for about 40 days.
Three parcels were sold under sealed bids that had to be submitted by Thursday. Their preset minimums were expected to bring in more than half of the total.
Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas said the auction was "an important step" toward compensating “those who had been harmed.” He did not attend the auction.