THE Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed on Wednesday to pay $880 million (£673m) to victims of clergy sexual abuse dating back decades.

The settlement is the largest in a single sex abuse case against a Catholic archdiocese.

After the announcement of the agreement, Archbishop Jose H Gomez said in a statement: “I am sorry for every one of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart.

“My hope is that this settlement will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered.”

Lawyers for 1,353 people who allege that they suffered horrific abuse at the hands of local Catholic priests reached the settlement after months of negotiations with the archdiocese, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The agreement caps a quarter-century of litigation against the most populous archdiocese in the United States.

Attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Committee said in a joint statement: “While there is no amount of money that can replace what was taken from these 1,353 brave individuals who have suffered in silence for decades, there is justice in accountability.”

Attorney Morgan Stewart, who led the negotiations, told the Times: “Dozens of the survivors have died. They are ageing, and many of those with knowledge of the abuse within the church are too. It was time to get this resolved.”