Aug 21 (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco filed for bankruptcy on Monday, saying a Chapter 11 filing will facilitate a settlement of about 500 lawsuits accusing the church of enabling childhood sexual abuse by priests.
The filing in U.S. bankruptcy court in San Francisco will put the lawsuits on hold and buy time for settlement talks, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said in a statement.
The "overwhelming majority" of the alleged abuse occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, involving priests who are deceased or no longer in ministry, Cordileone said.
The dioceses of Oakland and Santa Barbara this year also filed for bankruptcy, each citing the impact of hundreds of sex abuse lawsuits.
Reporting by Dietrich Knauth Editing by Will Dunham and Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Cordileone, Santa Barbara, Dietrich Knauth, Will Dunham, Chris Reese
Organizations:
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San, Thomson
Locations:
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, San Francisco, California, Oakland, Santa