US: New York Archdiocese agrees to pay $800m to 1,300 sexual abuse survivors

The Archdiocese of New York has agreed to pay more than $800m to approximately 1,300 survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, bringing years of negotiations over compensation to the verge of a conclusion.

The settlement, which is expected to be formally signed on November 6, will provide each survivor with at least $250,000, with the final amount depending on the severity of the abuse suffered, according to The New York Times.

New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks announced the agreement on Saturday, following negotiations with the survivors and their legal representatives.

“We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors,” he wrote in an email sent to his priests and shared by the archdiocese’s news outlet.

Hicks said the settlement would also enable the archdiocese to redirect its attention towards its religious and social responsibilities.

“This agreement will also allow the archdiocese to turn its full attention once again to its mission of preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, caring for the poor and needy, welcoming the stranger, and educating our children,” he added.

The agreement is the second-largest settlement involving a Catholic archdiocese in the United States, following the $880m deal reached by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2024.

Jeff Anderson, a lawyer who represented claimants who filed more than 1,000 cases against the Catholic Church in New York state, described the agreement as a significant development in the pursuit of justice for survivors.

“The unanimous agreement of survivors who filed claims against the Archdiocese of New York marks a powerful moment in the pursuit of justice,” he said in a statement.

“Through their courage, sacrifice, and determination, survivors have helped bring about a reckoning and a meaningful step toward accountability.”

The settlement follows years of negotiations between the archdiocese and lawyers representing survivors, as the Catholic Church in the United States continues to face the consequences of longstanding sexual abuse scandals.

Investigations by the media in the 2000s exposed cases in which Catholic priests had sexually abused thousands of children over several decades. The investigations also revealed instances in which church authorities covered up allegations or transferred accused priests instead of reporting them to civil authorities.

The revelations triggered legal action across the country, forcing dioceses to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation. Various programmes have also been established to compensate survivors without requiring them to pursue their claims through lengthy court proceedings.

In June, the Archdiocese of San Francisco announced a $395m settlement covering lawsuits filed by approximately 530 survivors who said they had been sexually abused by members of its clergy.

(Aljazeera)