May 1, 2026
Dear Member of the Family of the Archdiocese,
Peace be with you!
We are weeks away from the Feast of Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit descended on Christ’s Apostles. Indeed, Pentecost was the moment when our Church was founded – bringing together people of all voices and backgrounds through the power of the Holy Spirit. For nearly two thousand years, our Church has been a source of prayer, inspiration, comfort, and connection for God’s people.
Yet our Church, made full and complete by Christ, has also been scarred by the scourge of the sexual abuse of minors. As Pope Leo XIV reminds us, we cannot close our eyes or our hearts to the victim-survivors, and indeed the Archdiocese of New York continues our prayerful work to recognize and affirm the pain these individuals have experienced, and do all that we can to promote healing and reconciliation. We must also acknowledge that suffering continues for many who continue to live with this trauma each day, and recommit ourselves to ensuring that these horrific misdeeds are never again committed in our Church.
I write to provide you with an update about our ongoing work to bring healing and justice to victim-survivors. As you may have heard, the Archdiocese of New York and the Plaintiff’s Liaison Committee (PLC), which represents a majority of victim-survivors, have been working hard for several months to reach agreement on a global settlement of all sex abuse lawsuits. The parties have been working to create the framework of a comprehensive arrangement that will deliver compensation to victim-survivors faster and more efficiently than the traditional legal process. These discussions have been facilitated by Judge Daniel J. Buckley, a highly experienced neutral third-party mediator. Although much work remains to be done before a settlement can be finalized and consummated, I am cautiously optimistic about the path we are on.
Members of the PLC, attorneys who have long advocated for victim-survivors, have begun reaching out to counsel for all impacted individuals and it is our sincere hope to achieve full participation; we cannot begin to compensate victims until full participation is achieved. If a truly global settlement can be achieved, compensation will become available to victim survivors in the fastest, most comprehensive manner possible, without the need for lengthy painful litigation for victim-survivors or bankruptcy proceedings for the Archdiocese. Though I am new to the Archdiocese of New York, I recognize the immense effort that this Archdiocese has dedicated to supporting victim-survivors over the past decade. My predecessor, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, established the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) in 2016 which provided millions in compensation to victim-survivors. The Archdiocese has sold off the majority of its real estate holdings and made significant cuts to our staff and other operational expenses. These cuts have been painful for us, but they were necessary measures to secure the resources needed to compensate victim-survivors.
It cannot be denied that this has been a painful process – most significantly so for the victim-survivors and their families and loved ones who have suffered, in most cases, for decades. I pray that all of us, as the Family of God, will come together to support and affirm these individuals and take these next steps to bring about some healing and peace.
Please join me in asking for the powerful intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Joseph to heal the wounds of all those who have been hurt by abuse whenever and wherever it occurred.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Ronald A. Hicks
Archbishop of New York