Facing Abuse Claims, San Diego Roman Catholic Diocese Will File for Bankruptcy

The cardinal said the move will help the diocese keep operating while meeting the ’staggering' cost of compensating victims in cases dating back to 1945.

Robert McElroy, then bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, arrives at a nuclear disarmament conference at the Vatican in Rome on Nov. 10, 2017. Andrew Medichini/AP

SAN DIEGO—The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego announced June 13 that it will file for bankruptcy in the wake of hundreds of legal claims from alleged sexual abuse victims.

In a letter to parishioners and clergy, Cardinal Robert McElroy wrote that bankruptcy would help the diocese fulfill its goals going forward, while also compensating abuse victims.