Facing over 250 sexual abuse lawsuits, the Diocese of Sacramento, California, announced on April 1 that it was filing for bankruptcy.
“There are many victim-survivors who have long suffered from the reprehensible sins committed against them,” said Bishop Jaime Soto. “This reorganization process will allow me to respond to them as equitably as possible.”
“It is the sickening sin of sexual abuse – and the failure of church leadership to address it appropriately—that brought us to this place,” he added. “Join me in praying for the healing of victim-survivors. The pain inflicted on them lasts a lifetime, and so our atonement must be a lifetime commitment.”
In 2019, the State of California enacted a law that lifted, for three years, the statute of limitations for lawsuits involving the alleged sexual abuse of minors.