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	Timeline: Catholic Church Abuse Scandal Union-Tribune September 8, 2007 http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070908-9999-lz1n8timeline.html January 2002: The Boston Globe launches investigative series into allegations of Roman Catholic priests sexually abusing minors and archdiocese cover-ups in cases that go back decades. June 2002: As the scandal widens, U.S. bishops adopt a zero-tolerance policy. Then-president Bishop Wilton Gregory apologizes: "We are the ones, whether through ignorance or lack of vigilance, or, God forbid, with knowledge, who allowed priest abusers to remain in ministry and reassigned them to communities where they continued to abuse." January 2003: A special California law lifts the statute of limitations on civil cases for one year, allowing alleged victims to sue, regardless of how long ago the incidents occurred. September 2003: Archdiocese of Boston agrees to pay $85 million to more than 500 people. February 2004: Church-appointed National Review Board rebukes U.S. bishops for "shameful" failure to stop widespread clerical sex abuse over the past half-century. Tally shows 10,667 abuse claims involving minors – 4 percent of the clergy (about 3 percent in San Diego). July 2004: Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., becomes first Catholic diocese to seek bankruptcy protection in the face of sexual abuse claims. December 2004: Orange County diocese agrees to pay $100 million to 90 victims, with payouts ranging from $50,000 to nearly $4 million. May 2006: Frustrated by delays and stalled settlement talks, a Los Angeles judge coordinating hundreds of Southern California lawsuits releases five San Diego cases for trials. February 2007: San Diego diocese files for bankruptcy pro-tection the day before the first trial was to begin. It is the fifth and largest diocese to seek Chapter 11 reorganization in the face of roughly 150 claims. July 2007: Los Angeles archdiocese agrees to pay $660 million to 508 victims in what is by far the largest Catholic settlement of its kind. Yesterday: The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego reaches a $198.1 million agreement with 144 childhood sexual abuse victims. The diocese also promises to release church documents about abusers' histories.
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