City News Toronto
October 6, 2011
http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/national/article/159229--catholic-congregation-agrees-to-pay-up-to-18-million-to-sex-abuse-victims
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| College Notre-Dame. Courtesy FACEBOOK. |
A major Roman Catholic organization has agreed to pay up to $18 million in compensation for sexual abuse committed over several decades in Quebec.
The Congregation of Holy Cross has committed to issuing an apology and financial compensation for abuses committed, at three different institutions, between 1950 and 2001.
The assaults occurred over that entire period at College Notre-Dame in Montreal, and over shorter periods at two other institutions.
Today's announcement comes after a mediation process launched last December by the congregation and by victims' representatives, who had been preparing a class-action lawsuit.
The deal stipulates that victims are eligible for compensation whether they were abused by a clergy member, or by a secular employee of the congregation.
Jean-Pierre Aumont, the Canadian provincial superior of the congregation, says he is "truly pained" by the crimes committed and the suffering they caused.
He says he hopes victims will finally be able to escape the veil of silence and work toward a brighter future.
The compensation will be funded entirely by the Congregation of Holy Cross, as will the costs of the legal representation of the colleges involved in the class action.
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