The Diocese of Albany, New York, will pay survivors of sexual abuse a $148 million settlement in restitution for what Bishop Mark O’Connell called a “shameful chapter” of abuse in the diocese’s history.
The diocese announced the settlement in a press release on March 27. The nine-figure amount was still subject to court approval, but the amount itself had been accepted by the committee of survivors suing the diocese.
In the press release, O’Connell admitted a “clear and un-nuanced statement of guilt on the part of the diocese in its handling of our predator priests and others within the diocese.”
“It is a shameful chapter in our history, and no monetary settlement such as the one reached today will erase the pain caused to survivors,” he said while apologizing.
The bishop vowed to be “exceedingly diligent” in working to “prevent anything like this occurring again.”
Representatives of the survivors’ committee, meanwhile, said the settlement pointed the way to “closure for all survivors.”
The committee said it “looks forward to working further with the diocese to enhance its child protection protocols.”
The diocese in its statement said that diocesan insurers may contribute additional funds to the global settlement; the statement noted that it is “typical” for insurance carriers to provide “a significant portion” of abuse settlements.
The diocese had declared bankruptcy in 2023 while facing hundreds of abuse lawsuits under the state’s Child Victims Act of 2019.
In April 2025 then-Bishop Edward Scharfenberger announced that the Albany Diocese would launch a campaign to “rechannel [diocesan] efforts and resources” amid a major financial crisis.
The plan included the closure or merging of “perhaps one-third” of the diocese’s 126 parishes. The bishop said at the time that, among other things, “clergy health and well-being, quality sacramental ministry, consistent attendance, participation, and volunteerism” were “heading in the wrong direction.”
