Archdiocese to Pay $395M to Abuse Victims, Make Changes

The Archdiocese of San Francisco has agreed to pay $395 million to about 530 people who say they were sexually abused as children by priests. The settlement, which was announced Monday, would end the archdiocese's bankruptcy case, Reuters reports. The archdiocese also pledged to release the names of priests it deems credibly accused and to tighten safeguards meant to prevent future abuse. "We remain committed to the healing and care of survivors," Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said. The deal will need the approval of a federal bankruptcy judge.

The archdiocese, which serves about 450,000 Catholics in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin counties, sought bankruptcy protection in 2023 when facing hundreds of lawsuits enabled by a California law that revived old abuse claims. Mediation between the archdiocese and the US Survivors' Creditors Committee took years. When divided by the number of victims, the settlement could turn out to be the largest ever with the church, per Bay City News. A lawyer who's worked with survivors for decades said the requirements for the archdiocese go beyond any he's seen in such cases. "This is unprecedented, and this gives me hope, and it is the courage of these survivors," Jeff Anderson said at the press conference.

The terms include a 14-point plan for systemic change, transparency, and child safety, as well as enhanced screening measures, and an archive of survivors' voices. Cordileone will write a personal apology to the survivors. "I, like every survivor, have carried this pain and shame along like a ball and chain for a very, very long time," Margie O'Driscoll, who said she was abused by a priest 50 years ago while in high school, told the news conference, per the AP. "Ashamed and confused about what happened, scorned by the archdiocese, and sometimes not even believed by family and friends, and I think today shame is gonna change sides."