SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego mentioned Friday it’s going to claim chapter within the coming months because it faces “staggering” prison prices in coping with some 400 proceedings alleging monks and others sexually abused youngsters.
In a letter that was once anticipated to be shared with parishioners this weekend, Bishop Robert McElroy mentioned the instances have been filed after California lifted a statute of barriers on youth sexual abuse claims.
Meeting Invoice 218, which was once signed into legislation in 2019, permits alleged sufferers to sue up till age 40. Additionally, starting in 2020, it opened a three-year window for submitting proceedings with out age barriers.
Many of the alleged abuse cited within the fits came about 50 to 75 years in the past, and the earliest declare dates to 1945, Kevin Eckery, communications director for the diocese, mentioned at a Friday information convention, KNSD-TV reported.
Eckery predicted that it might price the diocese $550 million to settle the instances, none of that have long past to trial.
In his letter, the bishop mentioned not one of the fits contain allegations in opposition to any recently serving priest. “This displays the truth that the Church has taken huge steps to root out the sexual abuse of minors in its existence and to advertise the safety of minors,” McElroy wrote.
Even so, the diocese is dealing with “staggering” prison prices and maximum of its property have been used to settle earlier allegations with a $198 million payout in 2007, McElroy wrote.
“Even with insurance coverage, the diocese will be unable to pay out identical sums now,” the letter mentioned. “This problem is compounded through the truth that a invoice has now been offered into the Legislature that seeks to get rid of the statute of barriers totally, leaving the diocese liable to doable proceedings endlessly.”
Chapter would “supply a pathway” for the diocese to compensate sexual abuse sufferers whilst proceeding to run its ministries, the bishop mentioned.
The diocese has greater than 100 lively monks and covers San Diego and Imperial counties, a space of greater than 8,800 sq. miles (about 22,800 sq. kilometers) with a Catholic inhabitants of just about 1.4 million, in keeping with its web site.
