சிறுவர்களை பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்ததற்கு சிக்காகோ கத்தோலிக் சர்ச் 6.65 மில்லியன் ஈடு

சிறுவர்களை பாதிரியார்கள் பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்ததற்கு ஈடாக சிக்காகோ கத்தோலிக் சர்ச் 6.65 மில்லியன் 14 சிறுவர்க்களுக்கு கொடுத்திருக்கிறது.

Chicago diocese pays $6.65M to settle 14 priest abuse claims
By KAREN HAWKINS
The Associated Press

CHICAGO - The Archdiocese of Chicago paid $6.65 million to settle claims made by 14 people who say they were abused by Catholic priests, the church and plaintiffs' attorneys said Tuesday.

The settlements were reached between March 2006 and March 2007 and cover lawsuits filed against 12 current and former priests for abuse that allegedly occurred from the 1960s to the early 1990s, attorney Jeffrey Anderson said.

All of the priests named in the settlements have been removed from public ministry or are deceased, said Susan Burritt, archdiocese's media relations director. She said the archdiocese traditionally has paid settlements with insurance money or by selling unused real estate.

Three of the priests - Vincent McCaffrey, Norbert Maday and Robert Mayer - have been convicted on sex-related charges.

"The bad news is there's still more work to be done," Anderson said. His legal team represents between 12 and 15 more victims whose cases have not yet been settled or mediated.

At a news conference Tuesday, Keith Laarveld, 33, said McCaffrey abused him for about four years, beginning when Laarveld was 8 years old. He said he kept the abuse secret until about four years ago, when he told his wife and parents. Lawyers declined to disclose the amount of his settlement.

Laarveld and his mother, Kathy, tearfully said they decided to share their story in the hopes that other victims will find the courage to speak up.

"I'm very proud of him that he's willing to come forward like this to help others," Kathy Laarveld said.

Elsewhere, the Archdiocese of St. Louis is suing a law firm that handles clergy sex abuse cases, claiming it is improperly circulating confidential documents related to eight current or former priests.

The archdiocese filed suit May 11 against the firm Chackes, Carlson, Spritzer and Ghio, claiming its lawyers shared personnel and medical documents with third parties, including a reporter for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The suit seeks to prohibit the law firm from such disclosures.

A phone call to the Post-Dispatch's editor was not immediately returned.

Lawyer Ken Chackes said documents received from the archdiocese were obtained by court orders which did not require lawyers to maintain confidentiality, except for medical records. He said settlements reached in the cases did not have confidentiality agreements.

Associated Press writer Betsy Taylor in St. Louis contributed to this report.