Clergy sex abuse survivors overwhelmingly approved a $230 million bankruptcy settlement with the Archdiocese of New Orleans, potentially clearing the way for the local Roman Catholic church's long-running case to be resolved by the end of the year.

According to court documents filed Thursday, 99.6% of all creditors in the case who submitted ballots during a six-week voting period, which ended Wednesday, voted in favor of the settlement.

Those creditors are divided into several groups or "classes": more than 650 abuse survivors, vendors and small businesses, and bondholders owed some $30 million by the archdiocese.

Bankruptcy law states that two-thirds of all votes cast within each class must be in favor of a settlement in order for the court to confirm it.

While the abuse survivors an

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