US Church pays $153 million to abuse victims

The Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans in the southern United States has agreed to pay 153 million euros to victims of sexual abuse by clergy.

Under a settlement announced Wednesday, the archdiocese, parishes and several insurance companies will pay $179.2 million (153 million euros) into a fund to benefit survivors.

According to a statement from the committee that negotiated the settlement, the money will be distributed after the church emerges from bankruptcy . But attorneys for the victims said many are not happy with the deal.

“This proposed compensation was made in a backroom deal that the Archdiocese, the creditors’ committees and the mediators knew the overwhelming majority of surviving victims would never agree to and would undoubtedly reject,” said attorneys Soren Gisleson, Johnny Denenea and Richard Trahant.

“This makes no sense and is a continuation of the lifetime of abuse the archdiocese has inflicted on these individuals,” they added in a statement to The Associated Press. The settlement, which would end a lawsuit filed in 2020, requires approval from the victims as well as the bankruptcy court and other creditors of the archdiocese.

Aaron Hebert, who says he was abused by a priest in the 1960s when he was in eighth grade, called the settlement “ an insult and a slap in the face .” “The Archdiocese of New Orleans and Archbishop [Gregory] Aymond are dangling this offer to prevent victims and survivors from pursuing their claims in state court,” Hebert said.

The committee’s statement said the agreement also includes what it called “unprecedented” provisions and procedures to prevent future abuse and provide services to victims, including a survivors’ bill of rights and changes to the archdiocese’s process for handling abuse allegations.

“I am grateful to God for all who worked to reach this agreement and for us to look forward to a path of healing for survivors and our local church,” Aymond said in a statement.

The lawsuit involves more than 500 people who say they were abused by members of the clergy.

The case led to the release of a trove of church records that allegedly document years of abuse allegations and a pattern of leaders preferring to transfer clergy without reporting the alleged crimes to authorities.

In 2018, the archdiocese released a list identifying more than 50 clergy members who had been removed from ministry over the years due to “credible allegations” of sexual abuse.