Catholic Diocese of San Diego considers filing bankruptcy

SAN DIEGO – The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego – which serves Catholics in Imperial County – may consider filing for bankruptcy in order to provide a pathway for ensuring that the assets of the Diocese will be used equitably to compensate for all victims of sexual abuse, according to a diocesan press release.

The announcement came Thursday night, February 9, in a meeting with pastors and lay (non-ordained) parish officials, where Cardinal Robert McElroy, Bishop of the Diocese of San Diego, answered questions and distributed a letter. The letter will be provided to Catholic parishioners at Masses over the weekend, according to a diocesan press release.

On February 9, McElroy submitted a the letter as a press release, referencing the state of California lifting the statute of limitations for lawsuits regarding the sexual abuse of minors. Director of External Media and Community Relations Kevin Eckery, a diocesan spokesman, provided the information and a fact sheet for media use, which listed the total amount of claims, dates of the claims, and laws that allowed victims to submit lawsuits.

According to the sheet, the Diocese of San Diego has received more than 400 claims alleging the sexual abuse of a minor by priests. The earliest claim dates from 1945. Seventy percent of the claims allege abuse took place between 1945 and 1975, almost 50 to 75-plus years ago. No claim alleges abuse by a diocesan priest during this century.

The sheet also stated that as the California Legislature passed AB 218 in 2019, it revived any claim of sexual abuse of a minor and established a 3-year window to file a lawsuit from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022.

This was the second time the Legislature reopened the statute of limitations for claims involving the sexual abuse of minors, the release states. The first time was in 2002 when it passed and Gov. Davis signed AB 1779, which reopened the statute of limitations for any lawsuit filed during 2003, according to the release.

Additionally, per the sheet, the Diocese settled 144 claims for $198 million in 2007, an average of $1.375 million per claim.

If the Diocese settled cases in 2023 at the same rate, it would be more than $550 million, which is why bankruptcy is under consideration, the Diocese said.

Twenty-eight dioceses have filed for bankruptcy in the United States. In California, the Stockton diocese filed bankruptcy in 2017 and the Santa Rosa diocese announced it would file bankruptcy this year.

In 2007, the San Diego diocese filed for bankruptcy, but withdrew its petition before it was complete, the San Diego Diocese stated in the release.

“The sexual abuse of minors is evil, regardless of when it happens, but as a result of various reforms in 2002 and earlier, including mandatory Safe Environment training for clergy and all church workers, annual age-appropriate safety training for students in Catholic schools and religious education, enhanced criminal background checks and enhanced awareness and vigilance, no new incidents of abuse have been reported to the diocese in nearly two decades,” the Diocese said in a 2020 press release.

“Details about the steps the diocese has taken to prevent and report abuse can be found on our website at www.safeinourdiocese.org,” it reads.