ROCKVILLE CENTRE (NY)
Long Island News 12
September 14, 2018
The Diocese of Rockville Centre offered settlements to hundreds of victims of clergy abuse, but some say the settlement doesn’t cover all victims.
Harold Siering says he was sexually abused in the 1970s at a Catholic school on Long Island by a Franciscan brother. He says the abuse started when he was about 10 years old, and lasted into his teens.
“I kept it hidden, because the abusers, they tell you, ‘If you tell anybody, no one is going to believe you,’” Siering told News 12.
The Diocese of Rockville Centre started a compensation program for victims who were sexually abused at the hands of priests. The diocese has received almost 300 claims since the program opened up last year – awarding victims sums of $25,000 to $500,000.
But the program doesn’t compensate victims like Siering who were abused by church officials who weren’t priests.
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