Monday, July 1, 2013

Fairfield University And The New England Province Agree On A 12 Million Dollar Abuse Settlement

Fr. Paul Carrier, S.J.
A $12 million settlement has been reached in the civil cases arising out of the sexual abuse by Douglas Perlitz on at least 
23 abandoned Haitian street boys who were being taught, fed and clothed in a three-phase program funded by wealthy Fairfield and Westchester County Catholics and promoted by Fairfield University, the Knights of Malta and the Society of Jesus, New England. The settlement ended three months of negotiations between lawyers for both sides. The settlement money comes from insurance policies and will be spread out over a series of years. 
It expected that a monitor will be appointed to dispense the money. Perlitz, who created the program he named Project Pierre Toussaint, is serving a 19-year, seven month federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to traveling overseas to engage in sex with a minor. His program, which began in 1997 with start up funds from the Knights of Malta, grew into a three phase program with an enclosed residential school that taught abandoned Haitian boys farming, carpentry, roofing, plumbing and other needed trades in one of the world's poorest nations. However, the program ended in 2009 when contributions dried up after the scandal became public.
Link (here) CT Post

3 comments:

Qualis Rex said...

While I'm not surprised Perlitz took the typical "the priest made me do it" defense, which has become so common when today's abusers are caught, I am scratching my head at why Perlitz didn't feel the need to name the priest in question. Could it be because Perlitz was an adult at the time of this alleged abuse (unlike his victims)? Could it be that this was actually consensual? As a product of Jesuit University, I remember well how certain priests would fawn over a certain "type" of student at social functions they were invited to. I honestly think there is nothing so damaging to Catholicism in our day as a Jesuit University. This is not hyperbole.

clement said...

rex -most priests are gay . this does not mean they are do things like perlitz did. Again and again celebacy has not and does not work in the modern world. The truth shall set the church free. Married priests and women priests at jesus table and finally an acceptance of openly gay priests. Because lets face the truth or can most not handle the truth ?

Qualis Rex said...

Clement - your response is as tedious as it is predictable. 1) prove that "most priests are gay". I'm confident you have no statistical/reliable evidence or source here. 2) There is far more abuse in the Protestant churches than in the Catholic church; this has been and is currently documented http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0405/p01s01-ussc.html And the Protestant churches do not exercise nor mandate celibacy (and many abusers are...surprise...women), so this pretty much proves your uninspired "married/women priests" solution as bogus. People like you whine "you can't handle the truth!" but are really the ones furthest removed from reality. That's what happens when you let your opinions based on your own personal agenda guide a discussion rather than relying on actual sources and facts.