Catholic Church to Pay Nearly USD 1 Billion in Massive Clergy Abuse Scandal

Catholic Church to Pay Nearly USD 1 Billion in Massive Clergy Abuse Scandal
Catholic Church to Pay Nearly USD 1 Billion in Massive Clergy Abuse Scandal

United States: The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay USD 880 million to 1,353 individuals who claimed they were sexually abused as children by Catholic priests.

This settlement represents the largest compensation amount ever made by a US diocese concerning allegations of abuse that occurred decades ago.

In the wake of abuse claims, several other California Catholic authorities, including those in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego, have declared bankruptcy (though Los Angeles did not formally file for bankruptcy).

Even though the statute of limitations may have passed, the state has permitted victims of past abuse to file cases.

The archdiocese points out that under a comparable state regulation in 2003, it had previously made settlement payments to more than 500 abuse victims.

In the meanwhile, church representatives stated that the almost billion-dollar payoff was a more practical choice than declaring bankruptcy:

‘I am sorry for every one of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart,’ Gomez said. ‘My hope is that this settlement will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered.’

The $880 million amount smashes the previous record of USD 323 million set in New York a few weeks ago, making it the highest payment ever reached by a US Catholic diocese as part of abuse settlements.

In the wake of abuse claims, several other California Catholic authorities, including those in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego, have declared bankruptcy (though Los Angeles did not formally file for bankruptcy).

Even though the statute of limitations may have passed, the state has permitted victims of past abuse to file cases.

The archdiocese points out that under a comparable state regulation in 2003, it had previously made settlement payments to more than 500 abuse victims.

In the meanwhile, church representatives stated that the almost billion-dollar payoff was a more practical choice than declaring bankruptcy:

Bankruptcy would have been a much longer process for survivor victims to receive compensation for their claims, and the enormous fees and costs of bankruptcy would limit the amount available to pay victims; bankruptcy could further directly and possibly severely impact parishes and schools.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys will arrange for the distribution of the settlement funds among the claims; the archdiocese will “not [be] responsible for that.”

Do you believe the Catholic Church should expose the Catholic priests who committed these horrific crimes?