San Francisco Archdiocese to pay $400M in clergy sex abuse settlement

SAN FRANCISCO - More than 500 survivors of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of San Francisco reached a $395 million settlement that was announced Monday, with church leaders agreeing to an additional 14-point plan for protecting children.

Settlement comes years after bankruptcy filing

The settlement comes after years of mediation between the archdiocese and the U.S. Survivors' Creditors Committee on the abuse cases and nearly three years after the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy. The announcement was made by attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents survivors of childhood sexual abuse, at a press conference Monday at noon.

What they're saying:

"I've been working with survivors for decades and never have I been a part of anything quite as significant, as rigorous, as robust as what is being required of the Archdiocese of San Francisco," Anderson said. "This is unprecedented, and this gives me hope, and it is the courage of these survivors."

Child protection reforms

Local perspective:

In addition to the $395 million settlement, a 14-point plan for systemic change, transparency and child safety will also be implemented and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will pen a personal apology letter to survivors.

The plan also includes enhanced screening measures, a public list of "credibly accused" offenders and an archive of survivor voices. 

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court will oversee the 14-point plan and implementation, after a vote involving all participating survivors, Anderson noted.

"While the financial settlement will make the headline, I think the lasting contribution of this case, as Jeff said, are the really landmark child protection measures that will be instituted," said survivor Margie O'Driscoll at the press conference. "Our focus has always been keeping our children safe today and forever."

The Archdiocese of San Francisco published a press release Monday following the news conference accepting "full responsibility for what happened." Cordileone also apologized to those who were harmed and said the archdiocese is "committed to the healing and care of survivors."

"We believe this proposal provides a path toward fair compensation for survivors who have borne the weight of this abuse for a lifetime," Cordileone said. "With stringent preventative measures and trainings now in place for decades, the hope is that this proposal will allow us collectively to move forward by continuing the important ministries to the faithful and community members that rely on our services and charity."

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