Philadelphia ? Roman Catholic Church officials in Pennsylvania say a proposal to let sexual-abuse victims file lawsuits decades after they were abused could financially ruin dioceses across the state.

Pennsylvania has a strict statute of limitations that has kept most sexual abuse cases out of the courts, but some lawmakers are now recommending a one-year window in which victims could file lawsuits regardless of when the abuse occurred.

The proposal followed a scathing report issued in September by the Philadelphia district attorney’s office that documented how two cardinals and top aides hid decades of abuse allegations involving the Philadelphia Archdiocese.

In a statement Friday, the archdiocese said that permitting old allegations to enter the courts would likely expose the church and other institutions to huge damages, causing an “incalculable financial impact … felt in every corner of Pennsylvania.”