Press TV
August 18, 2011
http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/194520.html
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The Catholic Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey, has agreed to pay $1 million to five men who said they were molested by a priest when they were altar boys, their attorney said.
The molestations, which took place in the 1970s and 80s when the victims were 11 to 16 years old, involved the Reverend Ronald Becker, who died in 2009, said lawyer Mitchell Garabedian. Rawstory
HIGHLIGHTS
In confirming the settlement, the Diocese of Trenton said it found allegations against the priest to be credible and called for other victims to speak out, a reflection of the church's resolve to avoid the appearance of trying to cover up abuse. Articles.boston
The diocese confirmed that a settlement was reached in June and said each victim will receive $200,000, plus an additional $25,000 to cover therapy costs incurred over the next two years. Macon
The settlements, announced Tuesday [August 16], bring to $1.3 million the amount the diocese, which encompasses Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean and Mercer Counties, has paid to abuse victims of the Rev. Ronald Becker, who served in parishes in the Trenton area from 1973 to 1989. Articles.philly
The victims were all altar boys at Incarnation parish in Ewing and students at the parish school. Courierpostonline
One of the boys was molested about 150 times, and some of the abuse occurred during trips with the priest, lawyers say. Articles.boston.com
FACTS & FIGURES
In 2002, the church passed a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse, and Becker was defrocked. Macon
In 2007 Becker was accused by his niece of abusing her in the early 1980s. The case was investigated by law enforcement, and Becker was arrested and indicted, but died before being tried. Courierpostonline
According to the website called Bishop Accountability, which tracks and documents Catholic Church abuse cases, the Trenton diocese previously paid out $926,000 in settlements and victim counseling costs and 25 priests in the diocese have substantiated allegations against them. Rawstory
The nearby Archdiocese of Philadelphia also has been rocked by a pedophilia scandal. It faces several civil lawsuits, and three priests, a monsignor and a Catholic school teacher also face criminal charges, including rape. Rawstory
In the United States, Roman Catholic archdioceses have collectively paid some $2 billion in settlements to victims since the priest sex scandals first erupted in Boston nearly a decade ago. Andersonadvocates
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