BY Maureen Milford

Lawyers for alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse indicated in federal court today they would seek to include property owned by parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington Inc. in the diocese’s bankruptcy proceeding.

In the diocese’s first appearance in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, James Stang, lawyer for the unofficial committee of abuse survivors, said he will challenge the diocese’s assertion that parishes have a separate legal status from the diocese.

The diocese Sunday night sought protection in bankruptcy court in an effort to manage an avalanche of clergy sexual-abuse claims. One goal in seeking bankruptcy is to preserve the diocese’s assets and make sure “they will be distributed equitably to all creditors, not just a select few,” said Monsignor J. Thomas Cini in a declaration filed with the court. The second goal is to continue the ministries of the Catholic Church within the diocese, he said.