GARDEN GROVE, Calif., Nov. 14 (UPI) -- A Roman Catholic diocese raised its bid for the Crystal Cathedral again as a U.S. bankruptcy judge began reviewing offers for the Southern California church.
Judge Robert Kwan Monday had before his court two prime offers for the megachurch built by Robert Schuller. Chapman University offered $51.5 million for the campus but the higher bid came from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, which upped its offer from last week's $55.4 million to $57.5 million, The Orange County Register reported. The Catholic diocese had just hiked its offer by $1.8 million to $55.4 million last week.
The cathedral's creditors committee and the Crystal Cathedral board named Chapman as a preferred buyer but last week the cathedral's board said it would accept either Chapman or the Catholic diocese.
One of Kwan's responsibilities will be to judge which potential buyer would be able to pay off the church's debts, which amount to more than $10 million.
Another issue is a human one. Some members of the Crystal Cathedral board simply want the church and cemetery to stay under Protestant control, the newspaper said.
"I understand that this is unlike any other bankruptcy case," Kwan said. "There is clearly a human side to it."
