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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 18913
[Religious]
Date Posted:
11/19/2007
2:19:58 pm EST
Wvox Stats
Views: 5,725
RSS: 18,074
Comments: 10
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Church Settles $50m Abuse Claims In Alaska
Author: AP Source: CBS
Title: CHURCH SETTLES $50M ABUSE CLAIMS IN ALASKA
A Roman Catholic religious order has agreed to pay $50 million to more than 100 Alaska Natives who allege sexual abuse by Jesuit priests, a lawyer for the accusers said Sunday.
The settlement with the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus is the largest one yet against a Catholic religious order, said Anchorage lawyer Ken Roosa, who called it "a great day" for the 110 victims.
"These are people who were altar boys and altar servers and altar girls," Roosa said. "These are people who tried to tell their story and in many instances were beaten or told to shut up and told, 'How can you say such things about a man of God?'"
The settlement does not require the order to admit fault, Roosa said. None of the priests was ever criminally charged.
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Community Thoughts: There are 10 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Ummm... | Nov 22nd. at 11:01:50 am EST
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Batman (Madison, Wisconsin) - Email Me
...allow me to explain the 'spiders' post - it was a reference to a South Park episode. If you've seen it, you get it. If not, nevermind I guess.
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| If This Is What It Takes.... | Nov 21st. at 7:27:58 pm EST
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Batman (Madison, Wisconsin) - Email Me
.....to keep all those abused quiet about the giant spider that exists at the Vatican, then so be it. Pay whatever it takes, just keep quiet about the giant spider.
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| Thirty Pieces Of Silver....... | Nov 20th. at 12:32:16 pm EST
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
While there are some-admittedly, that are hoping to capitalize on this to get money, there are others who indeed may have a real grievance- and they deserve to be heard--if for no other reason than they weren't before.
I tend to believe that there were a great many who might have complained to being molested or raped-- only to be told to sit down, shut up and bear shame for daring to blaspheme against an authority figure.
We are just discovering recently that the people we place in power over us are not always as trustworthy as we are led to believe.
After all, we imagine because they are rich, famous or beautiful, or in such positions as Fireman, Policeman, Preacher, Doctor Babysitter or Lawyer- or even close family that we know, that they will not abuse us- or reveal the nastier sides of their temperment.
While in a great many cases, those of the above are honest and above board, that doesn't mean they all are of if they are- or that their superiors are.
People in positions of authority have sometimes used and abused their positions while maintaining an air of respectability, knowing that- as long as they are accepted publicly, they can do what they wanted privately. And it is more heinous, when it involves children who are often helpless in the grip of these predators, not because they don't complain, but because they know that if they do- no one will believe them and worse- even send them right back into the situation,after punishing them for saying anything at all. Betrayal all around.
And any institution who harbors these people, are often more concerned with their owngood standing than the people in their charge. They may not want to be known for harboring these offenders- but they will happily overlook much to settle things quietly preferably out of court. As a result, the victim is often left high and dry- with little recourse- except silence- and repressed memory.
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| Repressed Memory | Nov 20th. at 10:02:38 am EST
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Jskelly (Ashland, Virginia) - Email Me
I am not quick to doubt that memories can be repressed. I have found that there are large blocks of time "missing" from traumatic times in my life, like my parents' deaths. It seems that frequently the abused kids come from very poor disadvantaged families ,who are less likely to believed or listened to.
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| Pretty Soon There Will Be More Victims | Nov 20th. at 3:28:08 am EST
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Shadowbear (Hillsboro, Oregon) - Email Me
than there ever were catholic boys or girls. I hate to say this but being molested as a child is NOT something you normally forget until everyone involved is dead - then claim a bunch of money for. Having been there I can tell you it is much harder to forget than anyone can imagine and you know, every day, how it has affected your life. If I could just say, oh, by the way, it has been 52 years but you owe me for how awful my life has been - and get rich by it - I would enjoy that very much. But, it was not someone who was backed by a multi-million dollar church so there is no benefit in it and he went to prison so I suppose he never earned much afterward.
What bothers me is that I just don't believe that so many were molested and/or ignored - they just keep coming and coming. Some were and I feel for them - but nobody is suing over what happened in the last 5-6 years (even that is past the statute of limitations) , they are going after things 20-50 years old - where it cannot be proved who did what to whom - because those who supposedly are involved are dead. Not every catholic priest molests children but pretty soon it will have to have been every one of them on a full time mission to have covered the territory claimed.
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| Well It's A Good Start | Nov 20th. at 12:10:48 am EST
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Nocturnal Light (Camp Humphreys, Kansas) - Email Me
At least the Catholic Church is finally realizing that this is a problem. Hopefully they will progress beyond trying to sugarcoat it in reparations to actually fixing the problem.
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| The Problem.... | Nov 19th. at 9:39:00 pm EST
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Elwin Shadowstrider (Bartlett, Tennessee) - Email Me
....is that it all seems to be about money. Can someone tell me how 46 thousand apiece can "heal" any mental harm? It cheapens the insults committed by the priests. What really bothers me more is that none of the priests have to admit any wrong doing. Great, nice one, that is. Not only do they get a paltry pay-off the offenders in question get off scot-free......the last I checked such people got 15-25 years in prison for such crimes. Where's the justice here?
Anything further from me will be harmful, and negative, so from here; I'll hold my Peace......and "Harm Ye None" .......there's a lesson the church needs, "Harm Ye None". Oh, wait, I'm sorry; that's a Pagan concept!
*rolls eyes*
Blessed Be!
Elwin Shadowstrider ) O (
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| Lost All Perspective | Nov 19th. at 7:03:23 pm EST
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Richard Brownbear (North Wilkesboro, North Carolina) - Email Me
Society has lost any perspective on this Clergy-child sex abusing! It's become so common place it's almost expected for sex starved Clergy to fondle kids, and peple are just turning a blind eye to it anymore.
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| Bought Off | Nov 19th. at 5:02:18 pm EST
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Dana Corby (Anderson Island, Washington) - Email Me
While I do think those who were abused by those in positions of trust and power over them are entitled to some sort of compensation, any settlement in which the perps and their bosses are not required to admit wrong-doing just perpetuates their power to abuse. What it boils down to is that the Catholic Church bought off its victims - - again.
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