ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The archbishop of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese says filing for bankruptcy is the fairest way to help victims of sexual abuse by priests.

The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy Friday.

Archbishop John Nienstedt says he got permission from the Holy See to move forward with reorganization a week ago.

He says the process will allow "finite resources" to be distributed fairly to victims while the archdiocese continues serving more than 800,000 Catholics.

He says it's possible the archdiocese may have to sell assets but he didn't elaborate, saying that will be part of the bankruptcy process.

Nienstedt also says bankruptcy isn't intended to silence victims or keep them from getting justice. But he admits there's a long journey ahead to restore trust.

He reiterated that he has no plans to resign.

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