More In The Northwest, "No Bankruptcy Yet" Says Whitney

Jesuits settle Colville Reservation abuse claims for $4.8 million
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPOKANE, Wash. -- A $4.8 million agreement has been reached to settle claims by 16 people who said they were sexually abused by Jesuit priests decades ago at an Indian school near Omak. The settlement with the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, which oversees Jesuit activities in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Alaska, also requires the Roman Catholic order to raise at least $200,000 within a year to pay for a homeless shelter or homeless services in the Omak area.

The settlement, reported Friday by The Spokesman-Review newspaper, brings total payments by the Jesuits to about $73 million in 194 sex abuse complaints, including $50 million paid to more than 100 Alaska Natives who said they were victimized by 15 Jesuit priests, brothers and others.

"I'm sorry for the pain and suffering this has caused," said the Rev. John D. Whitney, superior of the Oregon Province. "We can only now hope for healing." Jesuit leaders hope to resolve about 11 pending claims in the province without resorting to bankruptcy, although settlements to date have cost the order nearly all of its investment funds, Whitney said. "We're running pretty close to the line," he said. "If bankruptcy becomes necessary, we will be prepared, though it is not imminent in any way." The latest settlement covers accusations by people who attended St. Mary's Mission and School on the Colville Reservation in the 1960s and early '70s against the Rev. John J. Morse, who now lives in Spokane, and James Gates, a Jesuit brother now living in Michigan. Both are bound by what Jesuit leaders describe as a "safety plan," including a requirement that they be escorted when they leave their residence building. Morse, who was removed from Our Lady of Fatima church in Moses Lake in 2006, has denied the accusations against him.
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