For Immediate Release:
July 9, 2024
Contact: Yvonne Wenger
Tel. 410-547-3158
yvonne.wenger@archbalt.org
(Baltimore, MD) – As the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Chapter 11 reorganization moves forward, Archbishop William E. Lori on Monday offered his “earnest commitment” to work with the creditors’ committee of survivors toward fair and equitable compensation for victims of child sexual abuse.
Archbishop Lori joined Paul Jan Zdunek, chairman of the Official Unsecured Creditors Committee, to make a public statement about their shared intentions for the mediation following the court-imposed deadline for victim-survivors harmed by a representative of the Archdiocese to file a claim to participate in the process. While both Chairman Zdunek and Archbishop Lori said the number of survivors claims included in the mediation is still being determined, they announced their intention to continue working together as the process continues.
“It is our shared goal to create an environment rooted in mutual trust that permits us to work together constructively, and hopefully quickly, toward an agreed-upon plan,” Archbishop Lori said. “We wish to jointly acknowledge the bravery of the many victim-survivors of child sexual abuse who have come forward, many for the first time, during this process. It is difficult to talk about these claims in the context of numbers. We know that behind these numbers lie horrible and tragic stories. Stories of abuse, stories of misuse of power and stories of how the most innocent were harmed. Our goals in filing for Chapter 11 include compensating those individuals with the aim of helping to provide a possible path toward healing.
“The surest, most straightforward and efficient way to accomplish this is by working together. The Archdiocese recognizes the Committee as the court-sanctioned official committee representing all child abuse survivors who have filed claims. I also commend the Committee for their historic work already in proposing and organizing an opportunity for numerous survivors to address the bankruptcy court directly, something we have not seen done in other bankruptcies.”
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