L.A. Archdiocese to Pay $660M Over Abuse
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hundreds of people who claim they were abused by clergy affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles can expect to be paid more than $1 million each in a $660 million settlement of their lawsuits. The deal, by far the largest settlement in the church’s sexual abuse scandal, was reached Saturday, said Ray Boucher, the lead plaintiff’s attorney. The archdiocese, America’s largest, and the plaintiffs were to release a joint statement Sunday, he said. Another person with knowledge of the deal placed its value at $660 million, by far the largest payout in the church’s sexual abuse scandal.
Ah, yes…the Catholic Church. The One True Church. The Church that denies it’s priests the opportunity- nay, the right- to experience their sexuality…and look where it’s gotten them. Man, I do hope Benedict XVI is proud of what the Church has accomplished on his watch. Pedophile priests coddled and enabled. Shattered lives. Broken trust. And all in the name of Jesus Christ and the Holy Catholic Church. Nice, eh? So how’s that whole eternal salvation thing working out for you?
The sad thing is that the ignorance and arrogance of the Church hierarchy, combined with their complete lack of concern for the well-being of their flock, has turned the Catholic Church into a joke, a parody of itself. I don’t think that there’s any doubt that the vast majority of Catholic priests are good, dedicated, well-meaning servants of the Church. This is what happens, though, when a relatively small number of pedophiles and moral reprobates are allowed to continue in the employ of the Church despite their special perversion. In far too many cases, priests were shuffled from diocese to diocese, even though the Church hierarchy KNEW FULL WELL what was happening. All they really wanted was to be able to sweep the problem under the rug.
Yeah, THAT worked out well….
I’ve never been a fan of the Catholic Church, which should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been hanging ‘round these parts for any length of time. I actually think this settlement doesn’t go far enough. Yes, $660 million is a LOT of money, but money only goes so far…and the Church is hardly lacking when it comes to the contents of it’s bank account. Until large numbers of priests and bishops spend significant hard time behind bars, I think it’s unlikely that anything will substantially change.
This is a Church we’re talking about here, right- not a criminal enterprise? Because it’s sure hard to tell the difference these days….
