旧金山天主教总教区同意支付3.95亿美元和解性侵诉讼San Francisco Archdiocese Agrees to $395 Million Clergy Abuse Settlement

根据原告律师和旧金山总教区于周一公布的协议，罗马天主教旧金山总教区已同意支付3.95亿美元，以解决涉及约530名幸存者的诉讼。这些幸存者指控在过去数十年中遭到神职人员和教会官员的性侵。该和解协议旨在解决这数百起指控，但目前仍需等待美国破产法院的最终批准。如果获得批准，该协议可能会结束这场持续数年的破产法律诉讼。

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco and attorneys representing the victims announced on Monday that they have agreed to a $395 million settlement. This agreement is designed to resolve more than 500 lawsuits involving approximately 530 survivors who alleged child sexual abuse by clergy and church officials over past decades. The proposed settlement, which could potentially end a years-long bankruptcy battle, remains subject to final approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

原告律师杰夫·安德森透露，该协议涵盖了约530名儿童性侵受害者。此项和解方案是在双方经过长期谈判后达成的，旨在为受害者提供赔偿，同时通过一系列强制性的改革措施来确保未来的透明度与儿童安全。该协议也是加利福尼亚州历史上针对神职人员性侵案达成的最大规模和解协议之一。

According to plaintiffs' attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents dozens of the victims, the settlement covers approximately 530 survivors of child sexual abuse. The agreement represents one of the largest sexual abuse settlements in California's history. It aims to provide compensation to the survivors while establishing a framework for mandatory child protection and transparency reforms within the archdiocese.

根据原告律师公布的协议条款，旧金山总主教萨尔瓦托雷·科尔迪莱奥内必须向约530名幸存者中的每一位亲笔撰写道歉信。这一举措旨在让教会高层对过去发生的虐待行为承担个人责任，并向受害者表达直接的歉意。

Under the specific terms of the proposed agreement, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is required to personally write an individual letter of apology to each of the approximately 530 survivors. This mandate ensures direct, personal acknowledgment from the head of the archdiocese to those who suffered abuse by clergy and church officials.

此外，该和解协议还强制要求旧金山总教区实施一系列重大的儿童保护与透明度改革。这些改革措施包括编制并公布一份被指控虐待的神职人员名单。同时，协议还明确禁止签署任何会使幸存者保持沉默的保密协议，以确保未来的公开性与安全性。

The settlement also mandates a series of sweeping child protection and transparency reforms within the archdiocese. According to plaintiffs' attorney Jeff Anderson, these mandatory measures include compiling and publishing a comprehensive list of clergy members accused of abuse. Furthermore, the agreement bans the use of confidentiality agreements that would otherwise act to silence survivors and prevent them from speaking out.

此次达成的3.95亿美元和解协议，其背景源于旧金山总教区在三年前申请破产保护。当时，该总教区正面临着数百起指控神职人员和教会官员性侵的诉讼。为了应对这些不断增加的法律诉讼和财务压力，总教区最终选择寻求破产法院的保护，而本次和解协议的达成正是该破产程序推进三年后的结果。

The $395 million settlement is rooted in the archdiocese's decision to file for bankruptcy protection three years prior. Facing hundreds of individual lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by clergy and church officials, the Archdiocese of San Francisco sought bankruptcy protection to manage the mounting legal and financial pressures. The proposed agreement is the culmination of three years of bankruptcy proceedings aimed at resolving these outstanding claims.

导致旧金山总教区及加利福尼亚州其他多个教区面临大量诉讼并相继申请破产的直接原因，是加州于2019年通过的一项法律。该法律为历史性侵指控开辟了一个诉讼窗口，允许受害者在2022年12月31日之前，对数十年前发生的虐待行为提起诉讼。这一法律调整引发了针对教会的大规模诉讼浪潮，最终促使数个教区通过破产程序来寻求重组与和解。

The surge in litigation that prompted the bankruptcy filings of the San Francisco Archdiocese and several other Catholic archdioceses across California was driven by a state law approved in 2019. This legislation opened a temporary legal window, allowing survivors to file lawsuits over decades-old abuse claims by a deadline of December 31, 2022. The resulting influx of hundreds of historical abuse lawsuits forced multiple archdioceses in the state to seek bankruptcy protection as they struggled to address the volume of claims.

针对此次达成的和解协议，总主教萨尔瓦托雷·科尔迪莱奥内发表声明表示，他相信该协议为那些一生都在承受虐待重担的幸存者们，提供了一条获得公平赔偿的途径。代表数十名儿童性侵受害者的原告律师杰夫·安德森也对该协议的达成及其中规定的改革措施发表了评论。

In a statement regarding the agreement, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone expressed his belief that the settlement provides a path toward fair compensation for survivors who have borne the weight of this abuse for a lifetime. Jeff Anderson, an attorney representing dozens of the child sexual abuse victims, also commented on the resolution and its mandated transparency measures.

尽管3.95亿美元的和解金额巨大，但这并非加利福尼亚州历史上规模最大的此类协议。在此之前的2024年，洛杉矶总教区曾同意达成一项创纪录的8.8亿美元和解协议，以解决针对其神职人员的历史性侵指控。旧金山总教区的这一协议是加州应对历史性侵诉讼浪潮中的最新一起重大和解。

While the $395 million sum represents one of the largest abuse settlements in California's history, it is surpassed by an earlier landmark agreement in the state. In 2024, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to a record-setting $880 million settlement to resolve similar clergy abuse claims. The San Francisco agreement marks the latest major resolution following the wave of litigation enabled by the state's revised legal window.