By Miriam Raftery

File photo by MIriam Raftery:  Bishop Robert McElroy, now a cardinal, at 2018 bicentennial of the Santa Ysabel Mission.

June 16, 2024 (San Diego) --In a letter to parishioners and clergy on Thursday, Cardinal Robert McElroy, Bishop of San Diego, announced that the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday, June 17. 

In his letter, the Cardinal states, “The Diocese faces two compelling moral claims in approaching the settlement process: the need for just compensation for victims of sexual abuse and the need to continue the Church’s mission of education, pastoral service and outreach to the poor and marginalized. Bankruptcy offers the best pathway to achieve both.”

But an attorney representing survivors of clergy sex abuse is blasting the action as a deceptive legal ploy to protect church assets and secrets.