MILWAUKEE (WSAU-Wheeler News) Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki calls the proposed settlement of its bankruptcy case a "rebirth."
Victims of the priest sex abuse that triggered the bankruptcy say it's nowhere near enough. The two sides have announced $21-million in payments for over 300 of the 575 victims who filed claims in the four-and-a-half year old case. A court appointee will determine how much each person gets, and Judge Susan Kelley will act on the settlement November 9th. It follows three days of negotiations last month. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests says the average payment per victim is $44,000 -- compared to $300,000 before legal fees in eleven other Catholic dioceses which filed for bankruptcy. Creditors' attorney Jeff Anderson says many victims were treated unfairly by "hardball legal tactics."
Listecki says the church will turn the page and "embark on a new road lined with hope, forgiveness, and love."