New York's Brooklyn diocese has said it would enter mediation to settle some 1,100 abuse claims against the Catholic Church, while announcing cost-cutting measures to fund the payouts.
The diocese, which also includes the borough of Queens, faces around 1,100 lawsuits - some sparked by a 2019 New York law that paused the statute of limitations on rape and sexual assault allegations, leading to a flood of complaints.
The Diocese of Brooklyn has already paid out more than $100 million to compensate roughly 500 initial victims under a previous program in 2017.
"The Diocese's Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, which began in 2017, has paid over 500 victim-survivors more than $100 million through the IRCP process," Bishop Robert Brennan said in a letter seen by AFP.
"Today I announce that the Diocese intends to pursue a global resolution of all approximately 1,100 remaining cases."
Retired judge Daniel Buckley will serve as a mediator, he said.
Mr Buckley was previously tasked with negotiating a settlement in Los Angeles to resolve the cases of more than 1,000 people in 2024, for a total of $880 million, according to US media.
The archdiocese of New York, which covers Manhattan, last year announced the creation of a $300 million fund to compensate victims of sexual abuse who filed complaints against the Church.
"To facilitate this global resolution, the Diocese is cost-cutting and setting aside significant funds to compensate victim-survivors," Bishop Brennan added.
Church efforts to compensate abuse victims have long been inconsistent, with programs and payouts varying widely around the world.
In the United States, where the crisis first surfaced in 2002, legal claims and compensation schemes have cost the church billions, forcing some dioceses to seek bankruptcy protection.
Six of New York state's eight Catholic dioceses have declared bankruptcy in recent years, The New York Times reported.
