Credits: Inquirer.net
The Catholic Church will pay 104 million Canadian dollars ($76 million) to hundreds of victims of sexual abuse in eastern Canada, according to a statement released on Friday.
The payout follows a 2020 ruling that found the Archdiocese of St. John liable for one of Canada’s largest child sex abuse scandals, which occurred at the now-defunct Mount Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland and Labrador. The court determined that priests and other church officials perpetrated sexual abuse at the orphanage starting in 1940, continuing for several decades.
A total of 292 victims will receive compensation ranging from 55,000 to 850,000 Canadian dollars, as reported by AFP. Ernst & Young, an accounting firm, has been appointed as a third-party intermediary to determine the distribution amounts for each victim.
Geoff Budden, an attorney representing the victims, stated that the compensation amount aligns with “similar compensation from other courts.” He emphasized the scale of the abuse, noting, “People didn’t really grasp the scale of the problem and how widespread the abuse was.”
The Archdiocese of St. John declared bankruptcy in 2021 but has since raised 40 million Canadian dollars by selling its buildings. Despite this, Budden expressed optimism that the victims will receive the full amount awarded by the court.
