NEW ORLEANS — Nearly $180 million will be provided to victims of clergy sexual abuse by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, as part of a settlement revealed on Wednesday, marking the latest settlement by the Catholic Church.
The archdiocese, along with its parishes and several insurance companies, have pledged $179.2 million to a trust dedicated to helping survivors, as per a statement from the committee that brokered the agreement. The funds will be allocated once the church concludes its bankruptcy proceedings, they mentioned.
But many of the survivors were not on board, their lawyers said.
“This proposed settlement was made behind closed doors, crafted by the Archdiocese, the creditors’ committees, and mediators in a manner that they knew would not be acceptable to the vast majority of victim-survivors, and it is likely to be rejected,” attorneys Soren Gisleson, Johnny Denenea, and Richard Trahant conveyed in a statement to The Associated Press. “It is nonsensical and perpetuates the continued suffering the Archdiocese has imposed on these individuals.”
The agreement, which would settle a lawsuit filed in 2020, requires approval from the survivors as well as the bankruptcy court and other Archdiocese creditors.
Aaron Hebert, who says he was abused by a priest in the 1960s as an eighth grader, called the deal “an insult and a slap to the face.”
“The Archdiocese of New Orleans and Archbishop (Gregory) Aymond are throwing this offer out to prevent victims and survivors from taking their claims to state court,” Hebert said.
The committee’s statement said the deal also includes what it called “unprecedented” provisions and procedures to safeguard against future abuse and provide services to survivors, including a survivors’ bill of rights and changes to the Archdiocese’s process for handling abuse claims.
“I am grateful to God for all who have worked to reach this agreement and that we may look to the future towards a path to healing for survivors and for our local church,” Aymond said in a statement.
The suit involves more than 500 people who say they were abused by clergy. The case produced a trove of church records said to document years of abuse claims and a pattern of leaders transferring clergy without reporting their alleged crimes to law enforcement.
In 2018 the archdiocese released a list identifying more than 50 clergy members who were removed from the ministry over the years due to “credible accusations” of sexual abuse.
