BishopAccountability.org
	Paying for Abuse Baltimore Sun July 18, 2007 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.abuse18jul18,0,6873585.story Los Angeles (CA) — The agreement by the Los Angeles Archdiocese to pay $660 million to more than 500 sexual abuse victims is a record amount that pushes the total that the American Roman Catholic Church has paid as a result of clergy sex abuse to more than $2 billion. But from the tearful acceptances by some of the victims, it's clear that money alone cannot ease the pain and suffering they have endured. The church must continue to confront this issue and come clean - not only with past victims, but with itself - in order to prevent more abuse. It's been five years since the terrible revelations came to light about prolonged sexual abuse of children by American priests who were shielded from exposure by bishops and other members of the church hierarchy. Since then, the church required the nation's nearly 200 dioceses to have policies and procedures in place to protect children. Baltimore has been considered a leader in that regard, creating a "safe environment" program that trained pastors, principals and youth leaders on preventing child abuse. Nevertheless, there are abuse victims in Maryland who are beyond the age of 24, the top limit for filing a civil claim - a rule that the General Assembly needs to change. In Los Angeles, the nation's largest diocese, allegations from the plaintiffs involved rape, molestation and forced viewing of pornography. After four years of legal wrangling, the first of some 20 cases, involving 172 accusers, was scheduled for trial this week. Now, the archdiocese and its insurers will pay a huge sum of money - more than six times previous recent settlements - to make the court cases disappear. What will not disappear is the need to continue rooting out abuse, confronting those who engage in it and not protecting offending clergy instead of children whose trust in them was betrayed. Too many of the victims have "walked around spiritless," as one noted after the Los Angeles settlement was announced. That's the real cost of the church's failure to deal adequately and thoroughly with abuse.
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