Church abuse settlement detailed

LOS ANGELES – Bishop Tod D. Brown walked down a long hallway at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday to apologize to victims of clerical sexual abuse and authorize the release of thousands of pages of personnel files that victims say will show that the church protected accused priests.

The 23-page, $100 million settlement made public Monday with 90 victims alleging abuse by Catholic priests, nuns and lay teachers in Orange County is the largest payout of its kind in history.

The documents do not detail the names or the payouts to victims in order to protect their privacy. But plaintiffs’ lawyers said payments ranged from $50,000 to a few victims who got nearly $4 million.

“All of us are here today because terrible things have happened. The sexual abuse of minors took place in our midst,” Brown said.

He said that changes to diocesan personnel policies will ensure, “as much as is humanly possible, that these things will never happen again. … Nothing is more important than the protection of our children and our youth.”

Victims praised Brown for his willingness to settle the cases and to release confidential records that other dioceses are fighting to keep secret. But most of all, they praised his admission that horrible sins had occurred in Catholic churches and schools.

“The acknowledgement of what happened to us makes the difference,” Max Fisher, a victim, said. “We are no longer just alleged victims. It means more to me than anything.”

On Monday evening, Brown officiated at a prayer service for the victims at Holy Family Cathedral in Orange, and talked about the forgiveness they had shown him.