The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, also known as Saint Mary's Cathedral, is the principal church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. (Shutterstock)
- Settlement addresses about 530 claims brought by survivors who were abused as children, according to Jeff Anderson, a lawyer for the claimants.
- The settlement also includes several provisions to prevent further abuse in the church, and the archbishop must write letters of apology.
- The archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in 2023 after hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits were filed against it.
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SAN FRANCISCO — The Archdiocese of San Francisco has agreed to a $395 million settlement with survivors of clergy sexual abuse, the archdiocese and lawyers for the victims said Monday.
The settlement addresses about 530 claims brought by survivors who were abused as children, according to Jeff Anderson, a lawyer for the claimants. The settlement, which also includes several provisions to prevent further abuse in the church, was negotiated as part of the archdiocese’s bankruptcy proceedings.
“This is a true reckoning,” Anderson said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
The Archdiocese of San Francisco filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in 2023 after hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits were filed against it. The settlement must be formally approved by the claimants as well as the bankruptcy judge overseeing the case for it to become legally binding.
Margie O’Driscoll, one of the survivors, spoke at the news conference about the abuse she faced from a priest at Marin Catholic High School nearly 50 years ago. She was a teenager when her teacher assaulted her, she said.
Archbishop Must Write Letters of Apology
O’Driscoll said the most lasting effect of the proposed settlement would be the non-monetary provisions, particularly one that would require the San Francisco archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone, to write individual letters of apology to each of the survivors. She said that the families of many victims did not believe their loved ones’ accounts because of their dedication to the church, and the letters would be a powerful institutional acknowledgment of what happened to them.
“I, like every survivor, have carried this pain and shame along like a ball and chain for a very, very long time,” O’Driscoll said. “Today, shame is going to change sides.”
Cordileone said in a statement that the agreement provides “a path toward fair compensation for survivors who have borne the weight of this abuse for a lifetime.” He said he hoped that it would allow both the victims and the church to move forward.
The agreement announced Monday between the victims and the San Francisco archdiocese also includes measures intended to protect children and empower survivors, victims’ lawyers said. Those provisions include enhanced screenings of all archdiocese employees and a ban on one-on-one texting or digital communication between adults and children, Anderson said.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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c.2026 The New York Times Company
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