Archbishop Continues to Hide Assets, Offenders, and Cheat Survivors of Their Rights
(San Francisco, CA) – Today, the Archdiocese of San Francisco filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy reorganization. This callous and heedless decision by Archbishop Cordileone is a continued effort to stonewall survivors of clergy sexual abuse from receiving justice under the lawsuits filed under the California Child Victims Act.
“Cordileone’s decision to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy is dangerous and demonstrates the archbishop’s priority is secrecy and self-protection,” said Jeff Anderson
The Archdiocese of San Francisco is the only diocese in California yet to release a list of clergy credibly accused of child sexual abuse. Attorneys and advocates sounded the alarm during press conferences in 2018, 2021, and 2022, demanding that Archbishop Cordileone release a list of offenders immediately. In 2018, Archbishop Cordileone promised the public that he would release the names of the credibly accused clergy in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
“It has been five years since Cordileone made that empty promise, and still, the public has not been informed of the past and present risks in the Archdiocese of San Francisco,” said Anderson, who represents over 125 survivors in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. “This has gone on long enough. It’s time for reckoning.”
In the spring of 2022, Archbishop Cordileone and eight other California bishops challenged the Constitutionality of the California Child Victims Act and asked the United States Supreme Court to overturn the legislation. The Supreme Court denied the petition, which allowed thousands of survivors to come forward and file lawsuits under this historic legislation.
“Cordileone will use every tactic and tool at his disposal to continue to run from the truth. He refuses to identify offenders in his diocese, he attempts legal maneuvers to eliminate the California Child Victims Act, and now he is attempting a last-ditch effort to hide the truth behind bankruptcy,” said Anderson. “What Cordileone continues to underestimate is the strength and the relentlessness of the survivors who were abused under the archdiocese’s watch. It is the survivors who have courageously come forward that will expose the truth.”
The Archdiocese of San Francisco is the third diocese to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in California following the close of the Child Victims Act on December 31, 2022. The Diocese of Santa Rosa filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy (3.13.2023), and the Diocese of Oakland (5.8.2023). It is believed that other Catholic institutions will soon follow Santa Rosa’s and the Diocese of Oakland’s damaging plan.