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The Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is set to pay $395 million to settle more than 500 lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by church officials, according to attorneys representing the survivors.
The agreement covers around 530 people and comes three years after the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy as legal claims piled up over alleged abuse spanning decades.
As part of the settlement, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will be required to personally write apology letters to each survivor, a rare and highly symbolic part of the deal, lawyers said.
The agreement also goes beyond financial compensation. It includes major reforms designed to increase transparency and strengthen child protection within the archdiocese.
Among the key changes is the creation of a public list of clergy accused of abuse, including details of allegations and the outcomes of investigations. The church will also be banned from using confidentiality agreements that prevent survivors from speaking about their experiences.
Attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents dozens of survivors, said the measures mark one of the most comprehensive accountability agreements he has seen in decades of similar cases.
Survivors were involved in years of negotiations over how the settlement would be structured, including how funds would be distributed. A committee representing survivors will oversee the process, with each claimant able to present their case individually for assessment.
Archbishop Cordileone said in a statement that the deal offers “a path toward fair compensation for survivors who have borne the weight of this abuse for a lifetime,” adding that he hopes it will allow both the church and victims to move forward.
“We accept full responsibility for what happened, and I sincerely apologize to all those who have been harmed,” he said.
For survivors, the announcement carried heavy emotion.
One of them, Margie O’Driscoll, who says she was abused nearly 50 years ago while attending Marin Catholic High School north of San Francisco, described years of silence, shame, and disbelief.
“I’ve carried this pain and shame like a ball and chain for a very long time,” she said. “Today, shame is going to change sides.”
The archdiocese serves roughly 440,000 Catholics across San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties.
The settlement follows a wider wave of clergy abuse cases in California after a 2019 law temporarily opened a window for older claims to be filed, leading to hundreds of lawsuits and multiple dioceses entering bankruptcy proceedings.
*Source: CNN
