February 11, 2006

Woman who claimed priest abuse in 1960s settled with church for $125,000

CHICAGO (IL)
Belleville News-Democrat

CARLA K. JOHNSON
Associated Press

CHICAGO - At a time when the priest sex abuse scandal has risen anew here, a Florida woman who accused three priests of sexual misconduct released copies Saturday of a $125,000 settlement she reached with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago in 2004.
The archdiocese offered the settlement after the woman claimed a priest molested her 40 years ago when she was 16 and two other priests had sexual relations with her when she was a young adult, according to a copy of the settlement agreement.
The woman, Linda Lee Burke, 56, of Manatee County, Fla., said she decided to make the settlement public after seeing how the archdiocese handled recent allegations of sexual abuse by another priest, the Rev. Daniel McCormack.
Cardinal Francis George has said he responded too slowly in the McCormack case.
"I was very distressed when I heard all that and really thought the church had developed enough of a program that they would be able to address the issue," Burke said Saturday in a telephone interview.
She said she "realized I'm protecting these priests by not naming them."
The archdiocese admits no negligence or wrongdoing in the settlement.

Posted by kshaw at February 11, 2006 08:22 PM