US Jesuits agree $166 million abuse payout: Lawyers

The Times of India ^ | Mar 26, 2011 | The Times of India

[moonshinner_09]

SEATTLE: A US Jesuit order has agreed to pay $166.1 million to compensate nearly 500 victims of decades-long "horrific" sexual and psychological abuse by priests in five US states, lawyers said on Friday.

The US Northwest chapter of the Rome-based Society of Jesus agreed to the payout -- which lawyers said is the biggest by a religious organization in the United States -- as part of bankruptcy proceedings. "I feel that nothing can compensate for the loss of being whole and being allowed to be a child and growing up in a healthy environment," she told the Oregonian newspaper.

"But this will start us and continue to help us on our path to healing," she added.

Katherine Mendez, 53, told how she was abused by Father John Morse, a Jesuit priest, when she entered the St. Mary's Mission boarding school in Omak, Washington state aged 11.

"Father Morse started abusing me almost immediately when I arrived at St. Mary's Mission," a lawyers' statement quoted her as saying. "I kept the sexual molestation hidden in the dark, in my soul, for years and years.

Most of those abused by priests from the Oregon Province -- the Jesuit order which covers the states of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana -- were Native Americans at mission schools on Indian reservations.

"This settlement recognizes that the Jesuits betrayed the trust of hundreds of young children in their care, and inflicted terrible atrocities upon them," said lawyer Blaine Tamaki.

"These religious figures should have been responsible for protecting children, but instead raped and molested them," he added.

Victims of the abuse by the Catholic-following order have been watching the case closely, including Clarita Vargas, who said the announcement marked "a day of reckoning and justice."

[fatima]

From what I am learning there is a statute of limitations.I just found they changed it in Pa.
On August 27, 2002, the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse was extended to 12 years after the victim’s 18th birthday. (Before that amendment, the statute of limitations was 5 years after the victim’s 18th birthday). That change in the statute of limitations applied to cases in which a child victim turned 18 on or after August 27, 2002. Since the 12-year period has not yet expired before the new law took effect, the statute of limitations for cases under the 2002 amendment has now been extended to the victim’s 50th birthday.

For cases involving child victims who turn18 on or after August 27, 2002, the Commonwealth now has until the victim’s 50th birthday to file criminal charges for abuse that occurred before the victim turned 18.

http://www.pcar.org/policy/statute-of-limitations-child-abuse

[presently no screen name]

And what’s the limitation of the RCC officials who covered for them? Until the law goes after them?

[Gamecock]

***Katherine Mendez, 53, told how she was abused by Father John Morse, a Jesuit priest***

But I've been told by FRoman Catholics that sexual abuse by priests was a homosexual issue!

Not sure why that matters, but that's what they tell us anyway....

[fatima]

Here in Philadelphia we just had our first case.I expect this to happen more often across the nation.I think the case would be in the statue of limitations and if there was a cover up more people would be involved as in the case of Monsignor Lynn.
“The judge also sharply questioned Lynn about his use of two attorneys paid by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She asked whether he understood that his personal interest might differ from the Archdiocese's interest in the case. She also asked whether he was aware he faced up to 28 years in prison if he is convicted of all counts against him.” http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/25/us-church-abuse-idUSTRE72O6QW20110325

[Gamecock]

It is interesting that while there are criminal cases brought against public teachers who molest children, there are no civil suits brought that I have heard.

That's because local school districts aren't covering it up.

Priests who rape children, and have been caught, were moved around from one diocese to another.

[TheDingoAteMyBaby]

Is there any reliable data available on the percentage of the priests who have homosexual inclinations?

[Judges Gone Wild]

It’s also because the church abuse cases have been brought years after the abuses took place. Criminal prosecution was not possible due to lack of evidence.

[editor-surveyor]

The “Jesuits” are at the root of all that is evil on planet Earth.

They have never been a Christian order; without them, the catholic church would have had a much more Christian history.