Tucson, USA - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson has received record donations less than a year after emerging from bankruptcy caused by child-abuse scandals.
The Annual Catholic Appeal, which funds 23 charities and ministries, raised $3.6 million in pledges, exceeding the goal of $3.1 million, the Arizona Daily Star reported.
Two other U.S. Catholic dioceses, in Portland, Ore., and Spokane, Wash., also declared bankruptcy and reported successful appeals this year. Spokane had a goal of $1.7 million and collected $2 million in pledges. Portland's campaign runs through November but has already met the $3.1 million goal.
In Tucson, 35 percent of parishioners donated, a significant increase from prior years and exceeding the national average of 29 percent in an April Georgetown University report.
Tucson's troubles began in 2002 with charges that priests sexually abused children, primarily in the 1960s through the 1980s. The diocese filed for federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in 2004.
Tucson's Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas said Monday that "this generosity demonstrates to me the great commitment that our Catholic people have to the mission of their diocese."