The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno announced this week that it will file for bankruptcy this summer as the number of sexual abuse allegations it faces surpasses 150.
Bishop Joseph V. Brennan, leader of the Diocese of Fresno, said in a statement that the Central Valley church will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August.
The diocese did not respond to calls or an email seeking comment.
The move allows the diocese to “address those claims in an honest, compassionate and equitable manner,” according to Brennan's statement.
Brennan said the move was necessary as the diocese has been inundated with claims (154 of which it is aware) in the three years since Assembly Bill 218 was enacted in January 2020. The deadline to file a claim ended on December 31, 2022, according to the legislation.
AB 218 opened a three-year window for some civil sexual assault lawsuits that previously lapsed due to the statute of limitations.
“The reopening of the window has made all California dioceses susceptible to more claims,” Brennan said. “What we face gives us the opportunity to redouble our efforts to create a safe environment for everyone inside and outside the church and address real problems to atone for the sin of clergy abuse of children.”
The Diocese of Sacramento filed for bankruptcy in April. Archdiocese of San Francisco It filed for bankruptcy last summer.
San Francisco said it had more than 500 new claims due to AB 218, while Sacramento put the number at 250 lawsuits.
In each case, each church opted to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which allows for court-supervised reorganization. This will ensure that all victims are compensated and that church funds are not depleted by whoever comes forward and finishes the fastest, according to Brennan.
The bankruptcy, however, did not sit well with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP.
Bankruptcy is not the only way to achieve “fair recoveries” in lawsuits against the diocese, the organization said in a statement. He added that the process turns victims into “creditors” and leaves those who were abused before the filing date and unaware of the process “forever barred” from suing for damages.
SNAP said Brennan and the diocese were the ultimate beneficiaries of the plan.
“For those who suffered, or are now suffering, sexual crimes against children committed in their diocese, there is no benefit to this cruel and, in our opinion, unjustified legal tactic,” SNAP said in a statement. “SNAP believes that it is children that need to be protected, not secrets or assets. “To us, this legal tactic shows that the Diocese of Fresno is actually bankrupt, morally bankrupt.”
The Diocese of Fresno includes more than 1 million Catholics among 87 parishes and 21 schools in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties.
The diocese published a list of clerics accused in 2021 including 64 ordained as early as 1906. Although most were local, some clergy came from Guatemala, France, Ireland, Mexico and the Philippines.
The diocese did not clarify whether the new claims came from previously accused priests and brothers or from newly accused ones.
Brennan said in his letter that none of Fresno's Catholic schools would be affected by the bankruptcy.
Jason Bettini, 49, a Fresno native, said he was relieved when he received a letter earlier in the week from his youngest son's school, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in neighboring Clovis, confirming that news.
In 2021, Bettini founded the Central Valley chapter of the St. George's Troopsa Catholic nonprofit organization that offers fraternity for priests, men and youth, according to its description.
Bettini's version is a Catholic retort to the Boy Scouts, which have also been tormented by sexual abuse allegations.
St. George's Troops require parents to actively participate with their children in adventures, such as camping and fishing. In less than three years, the group has gone from 18 kids to 50.
He said the news left him with mixed emotions.
“The diocese needs to protect itself against this litigation,” said Bettini, a longtime parishioner at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Fresno. “But the real victims must also be compensated for their pain and suffering, no matter how many years have passed.”
