NEW YORK (NY)
New York Times [New York NY]
June 21, 2026
By Lauren Jackson
What a Catholic abuse settlement offer reveals about reparative justice.
I’m not too precious about profanity, but I do keep some words sacred. “Sorry” is one of them. I pause before I use it, on Slack or in texts. I live in London, a place where it is mumbled reflexively. I’ve tried not to pick up that habit.
A misused “sorry” can send relationships spinning out of orbit — an excessive apology can prompt someone to feel suddenly and unnecessarily aggrieved. Alternatively, a careful “sorry” can reset the balance of things.
I often question, though, if some harms are too grievous to repair — even with a really meaningful apology. That’s a question about redemption that is at the core of many theologies. It’s also one that’s been in the news this past week, as institutions reckon with severe historical wrongdoing.
Friday was Juneteenth, marking the day in 1865 when enslaved Americans in Texas learned they were free. In Ghana, African and Caribbean heads of state discussed what reparations could address the harms of slavery.
Separately, in Britain, the Church of England apologized for its role in the decades-long practice of forced adoptions for unmarried women and girls. And in New York, people who were sexually abused as children considered a proposed $800 million settlement by the Catholic archdiocese.
I spoke to my colleague Maya King about what that settlement offer revealed about reparative justice — and the limits of an apology.
Damages for lost faith
Anthony Santucci, 66, has struggled with sleep for nearly half a century.
He has faced flashbacks from the abuse he says he endured as a young teenager from a Catholic priest in the Bronx. For decades, he didn’t tell anyone. Now he’s one of more than 1,300 people who have sued the Archdiocese of New York over sexual abuse.
The plaintiffs are deciding whether to accept the proposed settlement of $800 million — $250,000 each — or keep fighting in court.
Maya, who covers religion in New York, spoke to Santucci, and our colleague Jeffery Mays spoke to another victim. I asked her what it meant to put a price on people’s grief, and on their relationships to God.
Lauren: Tell me about the sensitivities involved in interviewing these guys.
Maya: It wasn’t the usual source conversation. I was talking with someone going public for the first time about something extremely painful and extremely private, something he was embarrassed by. I went through his lawyer, then explained what I wanted to learn — not the sordid details, but what was leading him to go public. I’ve spoken with sexual abuse victims before, but none quite like this.
What do you mean?
A lot of times, people abused by individuals bring suit against the individuals themselves. But here it’s someone saying, I was abused by an individual person, and I blame the Catholic Church, the Archdiocese of New York, and its leadership for not protecting me.
Do these plaintiffs consider themselves religious now?
Neither one considers himself a practicing Catholic. Anthony Santucci said he was a very religious child. He believed he was targeted because of that, because he was considered less likely to speak out.
How did the abuse affect their sense of spirituality?
Their faith was shaken, not just in the church as an institution, but their faith as Christians, because these were people they trusted, people they thought would lead them toward a stronger relationship with God. And they hurt them in this really violent way. That’s part of what they’re suing for. A part of the damages is loss of faith.
I didn’t know “loss of faith” could be a form of damages. How do lawyers quantify that, put a dollar amount on it?
Yeah, it’s not just damages for sexual abuse. It’s the trickle-down effect of what that abuse caused in their lives. People may feel ostracized from their communities because they can no longer be part of a church. With a loss of faith may come an inability to connect with family members. It’s causing many to question whether they believe in a higher power at all.
One lawyer put it to me this way: Faith is the bedrock of life for many people, and a loss of faith is really difficult to contend with, especially given the mental health issues many who’ve been abused are facing now. Not having a faith community to turn to while you’re processing this is another layer of pain.
How do the men you interviewed feel about the amount of the settlement?
Everyone who votes to accept gets a $250,000 lump sum. Others can apply in writing, documenting the abuse, to get more. But the plaintiffs are in a difficult position. If the church declares bankruptcy, which they’ve said they’re almost certain to do, litigation drags out and there’s far less money to settle with. People almost guaranteed a quarter million now might not get half that.
Was there anything that surprised you, or lingered with you?
Santucci said he would never have gone public if he didn’t have grandchildren. I heard that a lot. They feel protective now over the children in their lives. That’s why they want the best possible deal. They don’t want anyone to go through what they went through.
Read more about the plaintiffs, one of whom wore a wire to help the F.B.I. catch his abuser.
More on forgiveness
- The Times, Serial Productions and the Marshall Project have a new podcast out, “The Last 12 Weeks,” about a convicted serial killer facing execution whose lawyers are convinced he’s innocent. It examines big themes about forgiveness and justice, too. Listen here.
- In a Long Island courtroom, the Gilgo Beach serial killer received a sentence of life in prison. The judge, yelling, asked, “Are you a little bit sorry for what you did for these poor innocent women?”
- The Hawaiians have an traditional healing prayer called Ho’oponopono that I think is a good model. It involves saying: “I love you. Thank you. I am sorry. Please forgive me.” This couple tried it.
- Tricycle, a Buddhist magazine, has recommendations for letting go. “Liberation is releasing the deepest attachments we have,” Gil Fronsdal writes.
- A few of you emailed me and said you were marking summer solstice today by letting go of something. Lola Hardy, from Arizona, said she would be writing her grief about her sister’s death on a piece of paper and burning it.
Solstice at Stonehenge
It’s my favorite day of the year. I spent last night at Stonehenge to watch the sun rise for solstice at 4:52 a.m. with more than 20,000 other people. I met a druid wizard who considers the site sacred. I also saw a selfie stick that was about 30 feet long.
Juneteenth
Juneteenth was a day of emancipation. It was also a religious celebration.
In Galveston, Texas, the order freeing enslaved Americans was posted at Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Black Americans gathered there to sing and praise God for deliverance. They called it Jubilee Day, borrowing directly from Leviticus 25, the biblical year in which ancient Israelites released captives.
The order, which gave Black people property rights, enabled the flourishing of even more Black churches in the coming decades. Read more about the holiday.
Trending
- People grieved over the damage to a famous Orthodox cathedral in Kyiv after a Russian strike.
- Michelle Obama spoke about morality and hope at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. President Barack Obama sobbed in response. (NBC)
- Meet the evangelical pastors that are supporting ICE raids. (Religion News Service)
- Charli XCX said she wasn’t sure what she believed about an afterlife. (Rolling Stone)
- The Knicks player Karl-Anthony Towns talked about Jesus and Mac Miller on the Instagram show Trackstar.
- Rosalía set up a confessional in Madison Square Garden. The singer Maggie Rogers and the comedian Marcello Hernández told their secrets. (Billboard)
- Hannah Neeleman, the Latter-day Saint influencer behind “Ballerina Farm,” reacted to speculation that a book about a religious tradwife, “Yesteryear,” was based on her. Read the full interview. (Vulture)
- A Scot visiting the United States for the World Cup stayed with nuns. (BBC)
What I’m …
Watching: This trailer for a new documentary, “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World.” It explores the dark side of her wild and precious life.
Noting: How often players are thanking God after World Cup goals. Christian Pulisic, the American star, said he’s reading the Bible. (The Guardian)
Listening to: My colleague Ross Douthat and Vice President JD Vance discussed Vance’s new book, “Communion,” about his conversion to Catholicism. Vance also talked about arguing with the pope, and Ross challenged him about ways in which the administration does not act Christian.
Talking about: The question of religious revival, with a panel including the statistician Ryan Burge, on this radio show. (NPR)
Following: The comedians Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo talk about the viral podcasting nuns. (Read more about them here.)
One Last Thing
Last week, I went to a sold-out showing of “Adam Gopnik’s New York,” at Simpson’s in the Strand in London, a legendary London restaurant.
Gopnik, a longtime writer for The New Yorker, spoke about Central Park in spiritual terms. The actor Steve Martin was there, and he told me he had “no beliefs at all.”
I’m interested in whether literary events and newsletter launches have become ways to find community. Tell me if you’ve attended one lately?
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The editor of Believing is Jodi Rudoren. Harrison Hill is our photo editor.
Lauren Jackson is a deputy editorial director for newsletters and the host of Believing at The New York Times.
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