Detroit Archdiocese Settled With Abuse Lawsuit. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit has paid nearly $1.4 million in settlements and counseling costs to victims of sexual abuse by clergy, Cardinal Adam Maida said Thursday. As of Sunday, 116 victims were known to the Detroit archdiocese. Since 1950, allegations of sexual abuse were leveled against […]
Detroit Archdiocese Settled With Abuse Lawsuit. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit has paid nearly $1.4 million in settlements and counseling costs to victims of sexual abuse by clergy, Cardinal Adam Maida said Thursday.
As of Sunday, 116 victims were known to the Detroit archdiocese. Since 1950, allegations of sexual abuse were leveled against 63 of the archdiocese’s priests and deacons, which represent 2 percent of the 3,267 priests and deacons who have served in the archdiocese during the past 54 years, Maida said.
“As sad and sobering as these statistics are, our response to them can be a source of renewed hope,” Maida said in a statement released before a Thursday news conference. “We are committed to continuing our efforts to assist victims, create safe environments, and do all we can to protect children and young people.”
The Detroit archdiocese is one of several around the country releasing data this month and forwarding it to the John Jay School of Criminal Justice for use in a report commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The national report, due out Feb. 27, will tally the number of abuse claims since the 1950s, as well as the costs for legal settlements with victims, attorneys’ fees and therapy.
A breakdown of the Detroit archdiocese’s payments to victims shows $601,500 came from insurance carriers and $77,500 came from a self-insurance fund.
The Detroit archdiocese, the fifth-largest in the United States, ministers to about 1.5 million Catholics in six counties.
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