The Archdiocese of San Francisco announced that it has agreed to a $395 million settlement with nearly 530 people who say they were victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy, thus bringing a prolonged legal battle to a close.
Most of the lawsuits concern the sexual abuse of minors that took place many decades ago. Although these cases had been barred by the statute of limitations under the law, legislation passed in California gave victims a three-year window, from the beginning of 2020 to the end of 2022, to file civil lawsuits regardless of when the abuse had occurred.
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San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said the agreement creates the possibility of fair compensation for survivors.
“We take full responsibility for what happened and I sincerely apologize to all those who were harmed,” he said, while underscoring that the Catholic Church has a “moral obligation” to be held accountable for these crimes.
However, before it can take effect, the financial settlement must first be approved by the victims through a vote and then finalized by the court.
Margie O’Driscoll, one of the victims, who said she was sexually abused by a priest about 50 years ago at a Catholic school, described the settlement as a historic moment.
“Today, the shame is changing sides. Like many other survivors, I carried this pain and this shame like an iron ball tied to my foot for many, many years,” she said during a press conference.
O’Driscoll also criticized the way she said the Church hierarchy had treated victims with “contempt” for decades, recalling that many of those harmed died without receiving justice and without hearing an official apology.
Attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents a large number of victims, said the settlement is not only about financial compensation, but also includes concrete steps to protect children and strengthen transparency.
Under the agreement, the Archdiocese will undertake to hire an independent consultant with full access to the institution’s archives, who will prepare a report on cases of sexual abuse.
A list will also be made public, though not a complete one, with the names of priests involved in sexual abuse cases, and a hotline will be set up for reporting new cases.
In recent years, the Roman Catholic Church has faced a series of scandals related to the sexual abuse of minors in different countries around the world. However, the way these cases have been handled varies from one country to another.
In Spain, for example, the Church continues to face criticism over a lack of transparency in its handling of sexual abuse cases, an issue that returned to the center of attention during Pope Leo XIV’s visit at the beginning of June.
