Diocese of Fresno plans to file for bankruptcy as number of sexual abuse allegations skyrockets

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 has received rises to more than 150.

The head of the Diocese of Fresno, Bishop Joseph V. Brennan, said in a statement that the Central Valley church will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August.

The diocese did not respond to calls and emails requesting a comment.

This step will enable the diocese to “address these allegations honestly, compassionately and impartially,” Brennan’s statement said.

Brennan said the move was necessary because the diocese has been inundated with lawsuits in the three years since the building closed – 154 of which she is aware. Assembly Bill 218 was enacted in January 2020. The deadline to file a claim under the law was December 31, 2022.

AB 218 opened a three-year deadline for some civil sexual assault lawsuits that had previously expired due to the statute of limitations.

“The reopening of the window has left every diocese in California vulnerable to further litigation,” Brennan said. “What lies ahead gives us an opportunity to redouble our efforts to create a safe environment for everyone inside and outside the Church and to address real problems by atone for the sin of clergy abuse of children.”

Diocese of Sacramento has filed for bankruptcy In April. Archdiocese of San Francisco filed for bankruptcy last summer.

San Francisco reported over 500 new lawsuits due to AB 218, while Sacramento reported 250.

In each case, each church decided to file for bankruptcy under the U.S. Chapter 11 procedure, which allows for court-supervised reorganization. This ensures that all victims are compensated and church coffers are not depleted by whoever files and finishes faster, Brennan said.

However, the Survivors Network of People Abused by Priests (SNAP) did not like the bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy is not the only way to achieve “fair compensation” in lawsuits against the diocese, the organization said in a statementIt goes on to say that this procedure turns victims into “creditors” and that those who were abused before the application date and knew nothing about the procedure are “forever excluded” from suing for damages.

SNAP said Brennan and the diocese were the real beneficiaries of the plan.

“For those who have suffered or are now suffering from the child sex crimes committed in his diocese, there is no benefit in this cruel and, in our opinion, unjustified legal tactic,” SNAP said in a statement. “SNAP believes that children, not secrets and assets, must be protected. This legal tactic demonstrates to us that the Diocese of Fresno is in fact bankrupt, morally bankrupt.”

The Diocese of Fresno includes over 1 million Catholics in 87 parishes and 21 schools in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties.

The diocese published a List of clergy accused in 2021 including 64 who had already been ordained in 1906. Most were locals, but some clergy came from Guatemala, France, Ireland, Mexico and the Philippines.

The diocese did not say whether the new allegations came from previously accused priests and brothers or from newly accused people.

Brennan said in his letter that none of Fresno’s Catholic schools would be affected by the bankruptcy.

Jason Bettini, 49, of Fresno said he was relieved when he received a letter earlier this week from his youngest child’s school – Our Lady of Perpetual Help in neighboring Clovis – confirming the news.

In 2021, Bettini founded the Central Valley Chapter of the Troops of Saint Georgea Catholic nonprofit organization that describes itself as offering fraternities for priests, men, and young men.

Bettini’s version is a Catholic counterpart to the Boy Scouts, who are also plagued by allegations of sexual abuse.

The Troops of Saint George enlist fathers to actively involve their sons in adventures such as camping and fishing. In less than three years, the group has grown from 18 to 50 boys.

He said the news left him with mixed feelings.

“The diocese needs to protect itself against these lawsuits,” said Bettini, a longtime parishioner of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Fresno. “But the real victims also need to be compensated for their pain and suffering, no matter how many years ago it happened.”