ROCHESTER (NY)
The Associated Press
September 12, 2019
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester filed for bankruptcy protection Thursday amid a wave of lawsuits over alleged sexual abuse of children, becoming the first of the state’s eight dioceses to do so and the 20th nationwide. Cayuga County falls into the Rochester Diocese.
New York passed a law this year giving victims of childhood sexual abuse one year to file lawsuits that had previously been barred because the allegations were too old. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against churches and other institutions since the law took effect last month.
“We’ve come to the conclusion that we cannot minister to every victim that comes forward and help them out if we did not go this route,” Bishop Salvatore Matano said during a news conference.
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