San Francisco Church Agrees to $395M Abuse Settlement
The San Francisco Catholic Archdiocese will pay $395 million to settle over 500 lawsuits. The lawsuits claim church officials sexually abused children.
About 530 survivors are covered by the deal. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will write an apology letter to each survivor.
The settlement also requires child protection reforms. Key reforms include publishing a public list of accused clergy.
The church must also ban secret agreements with survivors. A survivor will be added to the church's review board. The settlement comes three years after the Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy.
Klear Note — Catholic churches across the US have paid billions in abuse settlements. These cases involve survivors suing for harm from clergy abuse decades ago.
Key Terms 3
- Archdiocese A large regional area led by a senior Catholic church leader
- Archbishop A senior Catholic church leader who oversees a large region
- bankruptcy A legal process when an organisation cannot pay what it owes