Archdiocese to Sell 28 Acres to Pay Settlement

BOSTON-The Archdiocese of Boston is selling 28 acres of its property in the neighborhood of Brighton. The sale of the property is reportedly part of the Church’s plan to pay off the $85-million settlement it reached with alleged abuse victims of priests. The move comes as a surprise as the Church has been insisting for the past year that the property would not be put up for sale. Calls to the Archdiocese were not returned by deadline, but Jack Dunn, a spokesperson for Boston College confirms the sale.

The property is largely undeveloped, but includes the residence of the city’s Cardinals. It is located on Commonwealth Avenue across the street from Boston College, a Catholic college. Dunn tells GlobeSt.com that the university is interested in acquiring the property. He says that the Church has not yet set the conditions of the sale and according to local published reports the amounts vary widely–from as low as $30 million to up to $100 million.

Dunn says that he is wary of speculating on what the college will use the property for, but he notes that the property would “address a longstanding Boston College need for playing fields and green space.” The property being sold represents about half of the Archdiocese’s 60-acre campus in the neighborhood.