The Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, has announced plans to resolve more than 300 abuse claims with a $180 million settlement.
“For the survivors of South Jersey, this day is long overdue and represents a milestone in their journey toward restored justice and the healing and recognition they have long sought and deserve,” said Bishop Joseph A. Williams in a Feb. 17 statement to the faithful.
Bishop Williams said the funds would be “made available to resolve all claims of abuse upon approval” by the bankruptcy court.
He noted that the court had confirmed the diocese’s reorganization plan in 2024, which at the time had established a trust funded with $87.5 million from the diocese and affiliated Catholic entities.
The bishop said the plan had been “unanimously” accepted by the official committee representing the survivors, and had also received the “overwhelming support” of both the diocese’s college of consultors — a canonically required advisory body of diocesan priests — and its finance council.
In his letter — which was posted to the diocesan website in both English and Spanish — Bishop Williams said the settlement funds would come from the diocese, its parishes and various insurers.
However, an FAQ sheet posted to the diocesan website stated that the Chapter 11 reorganization — which was filed in 2020 — will not affect diocesan parishes, schools and affiliated entities such as Catholic Charities, since those are “separate legal entities.”
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Camden confirmed in a Feb. 18 email to OSV News that “parishes are contributing to the settlement,” and that the information sheet “was part of the original filing, not the settlement.”
In his letter, Bishop Williams thanked “each one of those survivors,” saying that “without your bravery and persistence, this new day would not have dawned.
“I am profoundly sorry for what you have suffered. It was a grave sin and a devastating betrayal of the trust you placed in the Church that you loved,” said Bishop Williams.
“I cannot remove the scars you carry nor restore the innocence you lost,” he said, “but on behalf of my predecessors and the faithful of Camden I can say clearly and without reservation: We believe you, we are sorry and we are committed to walking a different path going forward with you, God willing, at our side.”
He added that he had been “humbled” by survivors’ trust and their stories, which were “at once heart-breaking and awe-inspiring.”
“You are living witnesses of the truth that where sin abounds grace abounds even more!” Bishop Williams said in his letter. “I believe that as more of the faithful of South Jersey hear your stories, you will become prophets of a stronger and more transparent Church.”
In 2025, Bishop Williams relinquished the diocese’s longstanding objections to New Jersey’s efforts to empanel grand juries to investigate clerical sex abuse allegations in that state.
In his Feb. 17 letter, Bishop Williams also thanked the faithful for their “patience and grace,” and commended the “integrity and perseverance” of clergy, religious, and diocesan and parish staff, including educators.
Noting that the settlement wraps up a “complex and sometimes contentious legal process,” Bishop Williams invited them “to see it as the beginning of a new day which allows our local Church to carry on its mission of making the name of Jesus known and loved in South Jersey with renewed vigor.”
He commended his predecessor, Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan, “who promised to the survivors that he would implement the strongest safe environment policies in the country and who delivered on that promise.”
Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.
