Diocese of Syracuse announces final court approval of $176 million abuse settlement

The Diocese of Syracuse, New York, will exit bankruptcy proceedings after the final approval of a massive nine-figure abuse settlement, the diocese said this week.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Wendy Kinsella gave the green light for the $176 million settlement, the diocese said in a press release on Feb. 25, marking the “official conclusion” of the diocese’s effort to provide “reparation and compensation to survivors of sexual abuse.”

The diocese had announced the terms of the settlement in August 2025, with Bishop Douglas Lucia revealing that the diocese itself would contribute $50 million of the settlement, while parishes and “other Catholic entities” would contribute an additional $50 million.

The remainder will come from diocesan insurance providers, the diocese said.

“I again offer my most heartfelt apology to those who have suffered such harm and for any past neglect in addressing it,” Lucia said on Feb. 25.

The news comes amid a wave of recent abuse settlements in the Northeast.

The Archdiocese of New York announced in December 2025 that it would pursue a $300 million payout as part of a “global settlement” with victims.

Then-archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan said at the time that the archdiocese would partly fund the settlement by the sale of “significant real estate assets.”

In February, meanwhile, the Diocese of Brooklyn said it would pursue a settlement with more than 1,000 alleged victims of Church abuse. Both Brooklyn and New York said they would use retired Judge Daniel Buckley as a mediator.

Also in February, the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, said it would fund a $180 million settlement for abuse victims, an amount that more than doubled an earlier proposal by the diocese.