Boston, Mass., Nov 7, 2022 / 15:15 pm
The Diocese of Rochester, New York, is hoping to finalize a plan that would pay $55 million to 475 victims of sexual abuse by clergy, religious, and laity in the diocese.
In a Nov. 3 letter to the faithful, Rochester Bishop Salvatore Matano announced that the diocese had filed a motion in U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeking approval of an agreement between sexual abuse survivors and the diocese.
The diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2019 in an attempt to reach a settlement with hundreds of sexual abuse survivors. The new proposition would bring the yearslong process to a conclusion for survivors and the diocese.
The agreement, called a Restructuring Support Agreement, would establish a trust funded by the diocese and its related institutions. The agreement also mentions that insurance providers that provided coverage during the time of the abuse might provide funds as well.