Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Sacramento, California by SCUMATT / Wikipedia
CV NEWS FEED // Addressing the Diocese of Sacramento’s bankruptcy filing, which took place on Monday, Bishop Jaime Soto told local reporters that the bankruptcy would be “a time of atonement for me.”
In comments he made to The Sacramento Bee reporters after Easter Mass on Sunday, the Bishop said Monday’s scheduled bankruptcy filing would be a “very difficult chapter” for the diocese.
“How can we best try to respond to that and also ensure that that never happens again,” Bishop Soto said, according to The Sacramento Bee. “That this moment that we’re going through is because of what we’ve done. So that’s coming to light, and I’m hoping that the bankruptcy will allow us to be able to do that in the most equitable and respectful way possible.”
Soto said that the Chapter 11 filing announced in December 2023 was the most respectful and transparent way that the diocese could address the more than 250 sex abuse lawsuits filed after the statute of limitations was lifted in 2019 for child sex abuse civil claims.
“Lord Jesus came to free us from our sins,” the bishop said In light of Monday’s scheduled filing and Easter’s significance in the Church calendar. “And so if anything, now I have to rely more on his mercy and his wisdom to guide us forward.”
In a statement that the bishop made in March, Soto emphasized that the filing would also allow the diocese to continue its ministry.
