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	Catholic Church Settles Sex-Abuse Allegations for $660m USA Today July 16, 2007 http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/07/catholic-church.html A local judge has finalized a $660 million settlement with the Catholic Church in Los Angeles over allegations of sexual abuse that date as far back as the 1940s. Steve Sanchez, a victim, tells reporters he hopes the settlement will remove the word "alleged" from media accounts about the abuse that children suffered at the hands of priest and other church officials. "Cardinal Mahony got off cheap today. For $660 million he bought himself out of testifying in our case. That's a lot of money," Sanchez says. The settlement brings more than 500 cases to a close. But Lee Bashforth, another victim, says nothing has changed, despite the settlement. "If he was sorry there wouldn't be convicted and admitted pedophile priests still on his payroll today," Bashforth says. The city's top Catholic cleric spoke out yesterday about the settlement. "At this time, I again offer my personal apology to every victim who has suffered sexual abuse by a priest, religious, deacon or layperson in this Archdiocese," Mahony said. "It is the shared hope of everyone in our local church that these victims, many of whom suffered in silence for decades, may find a measure of healing and some sense of closure with today's announcement."
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