Ottawa Citizen
August 7, 2009
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/diocese+sexually+abused+victims/1870920/story.html
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| The nearly century-old stained glass windows from Saint Pius X Catholic Church at the Shelley reserve in British Columbia |
What's being called an "extraordinary resolution" was reached Friday when a Roman Catholic diocese in Nova Scotia announced a multimillion-dollar settlement with victims of sexual abuse by a priest.
The proposed settlement — totalling more than $13 million — brings to end a class-action lawsuit filed by Ron Martin.
"I want to formally apologize to every victim and to their families for the sexual abuse that was inflicted upon those who were entitled instead to the trust and protection of priests of the Church," said Raymond Lahey, bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish.
Martin said the abuse he suffered as a boy still haunts him and that it wasn't until his brother's suicide in 2002 he learned the same priest had sexually abused them both.
"When I found that suicide note, I made a promise to him to make sure that his death was not in vain and so that has been a promise that has been very difficult to keep," said Martin.
"Many times in the last seven years it would have been very easy to walk away from that had I not made that promise but now today I feel like I fulfilled that promise to him."
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