Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
new Orleans The archdiocese will pay at least $230 million to hundreds of victims of priest sex abuse under a settlement approved by a federal judge on Monday after years of negotiations.
Richard Trahant, the attorney representing victims in the case, and a spokesman for the archdiocese both confirmed approval of the settlement by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Grabill to The Associated Press.
Earlier this month, some of the survivors of more than 500 abuse claims testified in court and said they are still affected decades later by the painful memories they shared publicly. The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in May 2020 rather than handle each abuse claim separately. Survivors noted that by doing so the church leadership was able to avoid difficult questions that they would have had to face in court.
Some recalled struggling with substance abuse, struggling with intimacy, and wondering whether they were to blame for what happened. Some said they forgave the Church, while others could not.
In her testimony, Kathleen Austin recalled enduring abuse hundreds of times as a child and seeing the perpetrator play a role in society. Catholic Church Despite the fact that its leadership knew what it was doing. He expressed doubt that the church would hold the pastor accountable in the future, given how much he has resisted responding to his experiences.
“Why did it take so long and cost so much to get to this point?” he asked.
The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, such as those who testified in New Orleans.
Archbishop Gregory Aymond, the head of the archdiocese, who is handing over leadership of the church to a successor, heard testimony from survivors last week.
Aymond later told reporters, “I also apologize to the church, that I am embarrassed by what happened in the church.” He said he hoped the survivors had found some “closure”, but added that he understood they were “still experiencing a lot of pain”.
Chris Naquin testified that his abuse began when he was 4 years old and that he bounced between mental institutions and prisons for decades.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get over this. There’s no money in the world,” Naquin said, crying. “My childhood never went away and I’m just starting my adult life at the age of 56.”
Billy Cheramy, who said he thought he died the day he was abused as a young boy, told the archdiocese that he forgave him for what he endured. He said God He later came to realize that the abuse he suffered was not his fault, thus relieving him of some of the anger that had driven him to join the US Army to learn how to kill.
“Killing does not heal the pain and memories,” he said.
Neil Duhon testified that he is still struggling with the idea of forgiveness.
“This legal thing will probably go away, but what it did to us, the trauma it caused, will never go away,” Duhon told the court. And said her perpetrator, former priest Lawrence Hecker, has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to charges including rape and aggravated kidnapping.
Aymond, 75, had long resisted calls for his resignation from survivors who said the church did not credibly take action against accused perpetrators. Allegations of priest abuse led to an extensive FBI investigation and a widespread crisis for the Catholic Church, which had to step in to help. New Orleans Saints The AP investigation found that officials had to help behind the scenes with damage control.
The final settlement plan, which received overwhelming approval from survivors during a vote in October, includes policies aimed at preventing future abuse.
Survivors will receive a seat on the archdiocese’s internal review board that handles sexual abuse claims. An outside expert is to monitor the church’s child abuse prevention practices. The church is also adopting a survivors’ bill of rights and survivors will have a direct communication line to the archbishop for misconduct complaints. And a public repository will be established to share long-held documents related to abuse claims.
In September, Pope Leo XIV consecrated Bishop James F. of the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey. Named Checchio as co-contributor archbishop of New Orleans, succeeding Aymond when he retires.
,
Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
,
Associated Press writer Sarah Cline contributed to this report from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.