The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has extrajudicially agreed to pay $880 million to 1,353 people who reported being victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests when they were children, in the largest settlement reached by an American diocese over allegations of abuse committed decades ago.
Archbishop José H. Gómez expressed regret over the abuses as he announced the agreement Wednesday. “I regret each of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart.”Gómez said in a statement. “My hope is that this settlement provides some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered.”
The Archdiocese began mediating abuse lawsuits after California enacted a law allowing new lawsuits to be based on past cases of child sexual abuse.
The California law and similar laws in other states have led many large Catholic organizations to file for bankruptcy protection across the U.S. In California, the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the dioceses of Oakland and San Diego have filed for bankruptcy protection. to resolve similar abuse claims.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles reached a settlement without declaring bankruptcy. Gómez said the Archdiocese could pay victims with cash reserves, investments, loans and contributions from other religious organizations that had been named in the lawsuits. The payments will not affect the Archdiocese’s mission to “serve the poor and vulnerable in our communities,” Gómez said.
Lawyers for the Archdiocese and the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Council, who represent abuse complainants, issued a joint statement Wednesday thanking survivors for coming forward with their stories and ensuring that abuse will not happen again. similar in the future.
“While no amount of money can replace what was taken from these 1,353 brave people who have suffered in silence for decades, there is justice in accountability,” the plaintiffs’ liaison attorney said in a joint statement. .
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