The Archdiocese of New York has agreed to pay more than $800 million to settle legal claims brought by about 1,300 survivors of sexual abuse by clergy.
Archbishop Ronald Hicks said the agreement with the plaintiffs and their lawyers would be formally signed on November 6.
Each survivor is expected to receive at least $250,000 from the archdiocese, with potentially larger payments depending on the severity of the abuse, according to details of the settlement.
Mr Hicks said the agreement could bring “some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors”. He added that it would allow the archdiocese to focus again on its religious and community work, including caring for the poor, welcoming strangers and educating children.
Second-largest US Catholic abuse settlement
The settlement is the second-largest of its kind, behind an $880 million agreement reached by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2024.
Jeff Anderson, a lawyer representing people who filed more than 1,000 claims against the Catholic Church in New York state, said the unanimous agreement marked “a powerful moment in the pursuit of justice”.
“Through their courage, sacrifice, and determination, survivors have helped bring about a reckoning and a meaningful step toward accountability,” he said.
The deal follows years of negotiations between the archdiocese and lawyers representing the plaintiffs, as Catholic dioceses across the United States have faced extensive legal claims over clergy sexual abuse.
Media investigations in the 2000s reported that Catholic priests had abused thousands of children over several decades, while church leaders had often covered up cases or transferred priests instead of reporting them to civil authorities.
Dioceses across the country have since paid hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, with compensation programmes also established for survivors outside the court process.
In June, the Archdiocese of San Francisco announced a $395 million agreement involving about 530 survivors of sexual abuse committed by its clergy.
