MINNEAPOLIS — A federal judge has declined to include parishes and other church properties among assets in the bankruptcy of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Kressel ruled Thursday on the request by a committee representing clergy abuse victims. The committee wanted to consolidate the assets of various entities in the archdiocese, which would have meant more money to pay victims’ claims.

The Star Tribune reports Kressel wrote that the victims’ attorneys failed to show that the benefits of consolidation outweighed the harm to those entities.

Jeff Anderson, an attorney for victims, issued a statement accusing the archdiocese of hiding assets and promised an appeal.