BUFFALO, N.Y. — A $150 million settlement between the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and hundreds of survivors of sex abuse is one step closer to reality, as part of the diocese’s bankruptcy filing.

That's the number agreed to in phase one: $125 million to be paid on a yet-to-be-determined date and then $25 million to be paid within a year of that, with incentives to get that paid earlier.

That’s just with the diocese.

Phase two mediations will continue with insurance carriers. The goal is to reach a global settlement, which is basically all of these settlements lumped together.

“We've had to push them. We did push them. We pushed them as hard as we can,” said Steve Boyd, an attorney for survivors.

Representatives for survivors of years of sex abuse within the Buffalo Diocese are one step closure to providing financial closure.

“This is an opportunity for us to help bring that restitution and any kind of healing that we can to those survivors and those who have been abused by clergy,” said Diocese of Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher.

The money will come from the diocese, parishes and members of Catholic affiliates.

While the judge questioned if the church can even afford this, the parties involved are confident they can.

“This is not a rich diocese. And this is a diocese with twice as many claims as Rochester, more than twice as many claims of Syracuse," said Boyd. "But I've never once believed that they would make an offer that they couldn't fulfill.”

At the end of the day, there’s no amount of money that can erase the abuse that was done.

Survivors who spoke after Tuesday’s hearing were not impressed.

“This is way out of line. This is taking way too long," said Richard Brownell, a victim of sex abuse in the church. "I think that the church has not done everything that they could do to settle this in a timely manner.”

“We spent five years in litigation, $25 million in legal fees for bankruptcy attorneys. This is the best they could come up with? I take this as a slap in the face and an insult to survivors," said Kevin Brun, another survivor of sex abuse in the church. "We're letting the diocese off the hook.”

A date of Sept. 1 was set for a plan to be submitted, but that could still change. The survivors will then be able to vote on approval.

“Getting that money, that monetary award, it makes them feel that someone is admitting that, ‘I was wrong,’” said Dan Chiacchia, an attorney for survivors.

Also part of the process will be allowing victims to share their stories.

“Being a child and being sexually abused and raped from the ages of 7 to 11, it affects you through your whole life," said Gary Astridge, a survivor of sex abuse in the church. "Something inside you goes dead. So when I sit here and I listen to what happened today, it's like the church still isn't accountable.”

As mediation continues with insurance carriers, closure seems to be what everyone is hoping for, but finding that is easier said than done.

“I’ll leave it up to my fellow survivors to form their own opinions and hopefully it brings some closure to some people," said Brun. "It hasn’t brought me closure.”

Whether or not a global settlement is reached with those insurance carriers, this deal will stand.

If the Sept. 1 deadline holds, that first $125 million could be paid as early as the first bit of 2026.

Mitchell Garabedian, a lawyer for 43 of the survivors, said this agreement provides hope to victims and survivors and that it, "sends a clear message to the world that clergy sexual abuse victims or survivors are resilient, committed and unwavering in obtaining validation and justice."