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CV NEWS FEED // The Archdiocese of Los Angeles recently announced that it has reached a settlement agreement of $880 million with more than a thousand claimants who alleged they were sexually abused as children by Catholic clergy, religious, or archdiocesan employees.
Angelus News reported that the 1,353 childhood sexual abuse claims were filed during a three-year window in California that reopened the statute of limitations on such cases. The majority of the incidents reportedly occurred more than 50 years ago, and none of the accused priests are still in ministry.
In a statement, Archbishop José H. Gomez apologized for the harm done to the sexual abuse victims and promised to “remain vigilant.”
“I am sorry for every one of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart,” he wrote. “My hope is that this settlement will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered.”
Archbishop Gomez added:
Through a process of active mediation, I believe we have come to a resolution of these claims that will provide just compensation to the survivor-victims while also allowing the Archdiocese to continue to carry out our ministries to the faithful and our social programs serving the poor and vulnerable in our communities.
Archbishop Gomez explained that the settlement payment will be made through money “drawn from reserves, investments, and loans, along with other Archdiocesan assets and payments that will be made by religious orders and others named in the litigation.”
“It is important for me to emphasize: No designated donations to parishes or schools or to archdiocesan-wide collections and campaigns, such as Together in Mission and Called to Renew, will be used for the financing of this settlement,” he said.
Archbishop Gomez concluded by reminding the faithful that the Archdiocese “will continue to be guided by the priorities of honoring our obligations to victims of past abuse while at the same time carrying out our mission to proclaim the Gospel and to serve our neighbors, not only in the present, but for generations to come.”
