By Dietrich Knauth
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to 1,353 people who alleged they were sexually abused as children by Catholic priests, in the largest settlement reached by a U.S. diocese over abuse allegations dating back decades. .
Archbishop José H. Gómez expressed regret over the abuse in announcing the settlement Wednesday.
“I regret each of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart,” Gomez 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 claims after California enacted a law allowing new lawsuits to be based on past cases of sexual abuse involving minors.
The California law and similar laws in other states have led many large Catholic organizations to seek bankruptcy protection across the United States. In California, the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the dioceses of Oakland and San Diego filed for bankruptcy 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.
Attorneys for the Archdiocese and the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Council representing abuse claimants issued a joint statement Wednesday thanking survivors for coming forward with their stories and ensuring similar abuse does not occur in the future.
“While no amount of money can replace what was taken from these 1,353 brave individuals who have suffered in silence for decades, there is justice in accountability,” the plaintiffs’ liaison attorney said in a statement. joint.