Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone made the announcement through a letter on the diocese’s website, saying that the filing is a “compassionate and equitable solution” for the survivors of abuse.
Melanie Sakoda is the survivor support director for SNAP, an organization for survivors of clergy abuse. She said she was unimpressed by the decision. “When a bankruptcy is filed, all action in the lawsuits comes to an absolute halt," she said in an interview. "Instead of being plaintiffs in a lawsuit, the survivors will become claimants in the bankruptcy. It will become all about money.”
The diocese currently faces 500 sex abuse lawsuits. San Francisco remains the only diocese in the state that has not released a list of clergy accused of sexual abuse.
The San Francisco Archdiocese — which serves about a half-million parishioners — joins about a dozen other churches nationwide that are in bankruptcy proceedings. The dioceses of Oakland and Santa Rosa filed for bankruptcy in the spring, and the diocese of San Diego announced in May that it plans to file in the fall.
In the letter, Cordileone clarified that the archdiocese itself is the only entity included in the bankruptcy filing. Parochial schools and individual parishes will not be affected.
