Leaders of the Catholic Church in New York are facing a "dark time" in the wake of a passage of a law that now allows victims of child abuse to file civil lawsuits against offenders even if the statute of limitations expired previously.
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Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, posted a video statement on Twitter Wednesday morning, acknowledging the legal battles.
"Today, I don't mind admitting to you, is a dark time for the church. As you have probably been hearing, this is the first day of the opening of the statute of limitations. So we are going to hear a lot today about people bringing a suit against the Catholic church and other organizations -- public schools, government organizations, Boy Scouts, hospitals, you name it -- for past sexual abuse. I just want to say that it is a tough time, it is a dark time, it's especially difficult for our beloved victims and their families to see all this dug up again, to have these wounds open. It's a tough time for our victims, survivors and families. and I'd ask you to pray for them," Dolan said.
Joseph Zwilling, the director of communications for the Archdiocese of New York, shared a statement with ABC News, saying the church "has been anticipating the filing of law suits since the Child Victim’s Act passed earlier this year."
The Archdiocese has also been paying out victims separately for the past three years through its Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program. Zwilling confirmed the fund has paid more than $66 million to 335 victims since it was created.
Since any victims who reached a settlement through the fund waived their right to file subsequent lawsuits, those victims will not be participating in any of the suits filed in connection to the Child Victim's Act window, which opened Wednesday and will last for one year.
"While we carefully review the claims made in these suits, we ask that people pray for peace and healing for all those who have suffered from the sin and crime of the sexual abuse of minors, wherever it occurred, particularly victim-survivors and their families," Zwilling said in the statement.