The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has reached a $ 210 million settlement with 450 abuse victims, resolving a years-long battle.
The Archdiocese, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015 citing its exposure to an onslaught of abuse claims, said the settlement would resolve all of those claims, conclude the bankruptcy process and establish a trust fund for 450 victims.
“Abuse survivors could expect payments soon after the court approves the plan,” said Archbishop Bernard Hebda.
“I am grateful for all of the victim survivors who have bravely come forward,” he said at a news conference.
A 2013 Minnesota law was credited by victims with opening the floodgates in the Midwestern state, by allowing for the filing of lawsuits in abuse cases dating back decades.
The settlement ended one of the lengthiest processes of reckoning of church abuse cases in the US – a protracted battle that victims blamed on the preemptive bankruptcy filing.
Experts speaking at the Vatican said in 2012 the number of abused American minors is probably close to 100,000, with cases dating back to 1950 and implicating thousands of Clerics.
The scandals and the damage to the Catholic Faith and the institution of the Church itself continues!
How sad indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment