Benedict XVI, "This Will Be A Time Of Purification For Each And Every Particular Church And Religious Community,"

Deal reached in Alaska abuse cases
Sunday, April 20, 2008

Attorneys for more than a hundred people who say they were victims of abuse involving Jesuits in Alaska reached a $50 million negotiated settlement.
Rob Adams
The 110 people, all Alaska Natives, said they were abused by 15 Jesuit priests, brothers or those supervised by Jesuits from about 1961 to 1987. The alleged abuse occurred in remote villages along the coast of Western Alaska and along the Yukon River. Officials at the Society of Jesus,

Oregon Province said Sunday that any settlement announcement would be premature since details had yet to be worked out. But copies of the "draft settlement documents" were leaked that confirms a settlement for $50,000,000 to be paid to the plaintiffs/claimants. The lawsuits also named the Diocese of Fairbanks, which owned and managed the churches in the villages where the Jesuit priests, brothers and volunteers were assigned, the victims' attorneys said.

The Fairbanks Diocese has not settled, and negotiations continue. In the past several years, many cases have been filed against the Jesuits in the Northwest, and the province has considered filing for voluntary bankruptcy. It is not clear how Sunday's announcement would affect any bankruptcy decision. Excluding the Sunday announcement, the Oregon Province — which includes Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Montana and Idaho — has spent about $16 million to settle claims with 61 victims against 41 priests since 2002.

In the Washington state, there have been several settlements, including those involving the Revs. Michael Toulouse and Englebert Axer, both former professors at Seattle University, and against the Rev. John Leary, former president of Gonzaga University. All three men are deceased.

The victims' attorneys said the $50 million settlement is the largest against a religious order in the recent Catholic Church abuse cases.

Link to original article (here)

Link to the Holy Fathers comments (here)

Link to the Boston abuse scandal (here)