SYRACUSE (NY)
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin [Binghamton NY]
August 28, 2025
By Jillian McCarthy
A plan is set to be approved for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse to exit bankruptcy and allocate $176 million for survivors of sexual abuse.
Most Rev. Douglas J. Lucia, bishop of Syracuse, announced in an Aug. 27 letter on the diocese’s website that Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of New York Wendy Kinsella will accept the diocese’s plan to exit a petition for Chapter 11 reorganization.
“As I have stated over the course of the five years and repeat again today, I cannot apologize enough for the abuse which happened or for any neglect in dealing with it,” Lucia said.
The diocese filed for bankruptcy protection in June 2020 as more than 100 lawsuits under New York’s Child Victims Act for past sex abuse by priests and clergy members began mounting in the courts. The diocese covers seven counties, including Broome, Chenango, Cortland and Oneida.
The lawsuits named multiple people, including a former Broome County priest and a Catholic school employee, in abuse cases dating back to the late 1970s.
In July 2023, the diocese reached a settlement agreement with the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, securing millions of dollars for the more than 400 survivors of sexual abuse within the church.
Under the newest agreement, the diocese’s Victims Trust Fund will include over $100 million for claims compensation. Of that, $50 million will come from the diocese, $45 million from its parishes and $5 million from “other Catholic entities associated with the Diocese of Syracuse,” Lucia said.
Insurance companies associated with the diocese will contribute $76 million to the fund.
The plan also includes non-monetary items meant to create “safe environment protocols to further ensure the past does not repeat itself and make further provisions to assist survivors on a journey towards healing,” Lucia said.