Sacramento Diocese Bishop Jaime Soto has announced the diocese will file for bankruptcy on April 1 in order to provide a resolution to survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Source: ABC10.com.
“As I shared in the December announcement, the bankruptcy process is the only respectful, and equitable way to address the substantial number of claims by those who have been abused by clergy and other Church Workers,” he said in an open letter posted to the diocese website on Saturday.
Bishop Soto says the bankruptcy will be a lengthy process, but it provides supervision and transparency allowing equitable resolutions for survivors of sexual assault at the hands of clergy.
In 2019, the Diocese of Sacramento published a list of clergy members and Church workers credibly accused of sexually assaulting minors and young adults. The list of credibly accused clergy has been updated as of January 31.
Bishop Soto said the court-supervised bankruptcy will allow the Church to continue its teachings and charitable work across Northern California.
“As this journey of atonement continues, join me in prayer for all the victim-survivors of abuse,” Bishop Soto said.
SNAP, the Survivors Network, issued a statement Monday morning after the weekend’s news asking Bishop Soto to reconsider the bankruptcy filing, saying there are other ways to “achieve fair recoveries” in lawsuits against the diocese “without the draconian consequences that bankruptcy will bring along with it”.
SNAP said the time limits imposed on lodging a claim before the “bankruptcy proceeds to its conclusion” would mean that “anyone abused before the filing date who did not come forward is barred from ever filing a lawsuit”.
FULL STORY
Catholic Diocese of Sacramento announces date for bankruptcy filing amid sexual abuse lawsuits (ABC10.com)
