Oakland Catholic Diocese declares bankruptcy amidst flood of sexual abuse lawsuits.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland has filed for bankruptcy due to over 330 lawsuits over alleged sexual abuse of children by the clergy dating back decades. The diocese will continue to operate and all employees and vendors will continue to be paid during the bankruptcy filing. Most of the lawsuits involve allegations of abuse that date back to the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The Diocese of Santa Rosa filed for bankruptcy protection in March, similarly because it said it did not have money to settle more than 150 child sexual abuse lawsuits.