The San Francisco Roman Catholic Archdiocese was in the news twice Monday, as news landed that they will be paying a nearly $400 million settlement to sexual abuse survivors, and they announced the closure of SF's St. Brigid Academy.

Next in line in the national and global scandal surrounding decades-old abuse claims against Catholic priests is the Archdiocese of San Francisco, which will be paying out $395 million in a settlement to survivors of abuse. The announcement of the settlement comes nearly three years after the Archdiocese declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy — when it was, at the time, facing some 500 civil lawsuits related to past abuse.

As the Chronicle reports, if the settlement is approved by the survivors and the bankruptcy judge, the Archdiocese will pay settlement claims to 530 survivors — many of whom came forward during a "look-back window" established under the California Child Victims Act for making decades-old claims, which extended from 2020 to 2022. That led directly to the bankruptcy filing in 2023.

Our problematic local Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone issued a statement about the settlement saying the settlement was a "path toward fair compensation for survivors," and that the "entire Catholic family is called to unite and share in the work of making amends through this proposed settlement."

Cordileone also said that survivors "deserve our unwavering respect, attention and prayers."

And he added, "While the vast majority of sexual abuse allegations associated with this bankruptcy were from many decades ago, we accept full responsibility for what happened, and I sincerely apologize to all those who have been harmed. We remain committed to the healing and care of survivors who have suffered because of past sins of church ministers."

The settlement, which a plaintiffs' attorney calls "the most robust noneconomic settlement that’s ever been made in the country," also calls for the establishment of a "survivor-sensitive public archive to include survivor voices," and requires the Archdiocese to finally disclose a complete list of accused priests — something that most other archdioceses have already done.

Monday also brought news of the closure of the 138-year-old St. Brigid Academy, a Catholic school run by the Archdiocese that served both gifted and special-needs students, and offered a 4-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. As the Chronicle reports, many parents were caught flat-footed by the news, which comes just a matter of weeks before school would be set to begin, and are now left scrambling to find new school placements for their kids.

The Archdiocese said in a statement to the Chronicle that the school closure was not linked to the bankruptcy or settlement, but it seems like indirectly it had to be. The closure, they said, was based on declining enrollment.

The Archdiocese of San Francisco's settlement and school closure come as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland is in a stalemate over a similar survivor settlement, and two months after they announced the closure of 13 parishes around the East Bay.

Previously: Catholic Diocese of Oakland to Close 13 East Bay Churches Amid Lawsuits

Top image: Photo by Levi Meir Clancy