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	Church Agrees to $15 Million Sb Diocese to Pay 11 Victims By Mike Cruz San Bernardino Sun September 9, 2007 http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_6834368 San Bernardino - The Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino has agreed to pay more than $15 million to settle 11 cases of alleged sexual abuse of a minor by a priest, it announced Friday. The "agreement in principle" is San Bernardino's share of a massive $198 million settlement by the Diocese of San Diego to resolve the 144 cases it faces. Under the agreement, the diocese does not admit guilt in any of the 11 cases, which involve eight priests. "In one way, we may think that there is some conclusion to this sad and horrible part of the history and the life of the church of the United States and in the Diocese of San Bernardino," Bishop Gerald Barnes read from a prepared statement. "However, healing is a continuous process, and we beg God to help us on this path." Church officials announced the settlement on Friday afternoon at a press conference at the Pastoral Center in San Bernardino. The bishop read a three-minute statement and then abruptly left the press conference, leaving his spokesman the Rev. Howard Lincoln to answer any questions from the media. A significant amount of the settlement will be paid by insurance, with the balance to be funded by diocesan reserve funds, assets and possibly by financing, church officials said. The diocese, with more than 1.2 million Catholics, also does not anticipate the agreement will result in any staff reductions or the closure of any diocesan facilities. "We will be able to continue the overall mission of the church without a reduction in services," Lincoln said. The settlement averages about $1.4 million per claimant, which is slightly higher than what plaintiffs received in other California settlements, according to the Associated Press. "We shouldn't have had to go through all this," said Betty Schneider, 62, of Temecula, who claimed she was molested when she was 10 and a member of her church choir. "I have grandkids the same age I was, and I hope all this helps kids to be protected better than we were protected." Weekly donations made by parishioners will not be used to pay off the settlement, according to a diocesan statement. The settlement resolves all but five cases, which were filed after 2003, facing the San Bernardino diocese. Of the priests involved in the 11 settled cases, three are out of the ministry, one is incarcerated and one is retired out of state. Additionally, one is deceased, and two are still in active ministry, church officials said. The diocese does not believe the allegations against the two priests who are in active ministry are credible, Lincoln said. San Bernardino and Riverside counties were part of the Diocese of San Diego until November 1978. The Diocese of San Diego agreed to assume liability for cases involving alleged abuses that took place before San Bernardino became a separate diocese. Church officials outlined several efforts, such as fingerprinting, training, a toll-free hot line, counseling and monthly retreats to victims to restore faith and prevent further abuse of children. "The Diocese of San Bernardino will continue to create a safe environment in our parishes and throughout the diocese, to educate children and parents to recognize dangerous situations and behaviors, and to work diligently to heal and care for those who have been abused by ministers of the church and others," Barnes said. The agreement with the San Diego diocese came after two days of intense talks before a federal magistrate judge between the diocese, attorneys and some alleged victims, according to The Associated Press. It caps more than four years of negotiations in state and federal courts and comes six months after the diocese abruptly filed for bankruptcy protection just hours before the first of 42 lawsuits alleging sex abuse was scheduled for trial. The diocese has been under pressure to reach a settlement. It sought to shield its assets by declaring bankruptcy, but a judge recently threatened to dismiss the diocese's case if an agreement with sex-abuse plaintiffs was not struck by Tuesday, the AP reported. The San Diego diocese had initially offered about $95million to settle the claims as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan. Claimants had sought about $200 million. The Los Angeles Archdiocese settled 508 cases for $660million in July, two days before jury selection was scheduled to begin in the first of 15 trials involving 172 abuse claimants. The Diocese of Orange agreed to settle 90 claims for $100million in 2004 after a judge promised to set trial dates and begin the discovery process if settlement talks collapsed. With nearly 1million Catholics and holdings throughout San Diego County, the diocese is by far the largest and wealthiest of the five U.S. dioceses to have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under the shadow of civil claims over sexual abuse. Dioceses in Spokane, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; and Tucson, Ariz.; have already emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Davenport, Iowa, diocese, which faces claims from more than 150 people, is still in proceedings. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact writer Mike Cruz at (909) 386-3880 or via e-mail at mike.cruz@sbsun.com.
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