HUNDREDS OF CHILD SEX ABUSE LAWSUITS COULD TRIGGER BANKRUPTCY FOR US CHURCH

San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy.

Sat 11 February 2023:

In the United States, the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego said on Friday that it may soon declare bankruptcy due to “staggering” legal costs in nearly 400 lawsuits that allege priests and church functionaries sexually abused children over the decades. A diocese refers to a territory that has a number of churches under a bishop. It was revealed that it would cost the diocese up to $550 million to settle the cases.

In a letter that was expected to be shared with parishioners this weekend, Bishop Robert McElroy said the cases were filed after California lifted a statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse claims.

Assembly Bill 218, which was signed into law in 2019, allows alleged victims to sue up until age 40. It also opened a three-year window for filing lawsuits without age limitations since 2019.

The sexual abuses cited in the lawsuits allegedly took place 50 to 75 years ago, and the earliest claim dates to 1945, Kevin Eckery, communications director for the diocese, said at a Friday news conference, KNSD-TV reported.

In his letter, the bishop said none of the suits involve allegations against any currently serving priest.

“This reflects the reality that the Church has taken enormous steps to root out the sexual abuse of minors in its life and to promote the protection of minors,” McElroy claimed.

Why Bankruptcy?

Bankruptcy would “provide a pathway” for the diocese to compensate sexual abuse victims while continuing to run its ministries, the bishop said.

The diocese has more than 100 active priests and covers San Diego and Imperial counties, an area of more than 8,800 square miles (about 22,800 square kilometres) with a Catholic population of nearly 1.4 million, according to its website.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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