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Pa. bishops group expresses support for fund to pay church abuse survivors

The Catholic Bishops of Pennsylvania expressed support Friday for an independent fund to compensate survivors of abuse at the hands of priests.

“We fully acknowledge that the Church sometimes failed the most vulnerable among us — children and young adults,” the statement read, in part. “We deeply regret the suffering of survivors and any decisions that failed to protect them.”

Some state legislators have floated the idea of a fund set aside to pay abuse survivors, but no details have been given about where the money would come from or who would administrate the fund.

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The bishops group said it would help create or participate in an “independent, voluntary program” with a panel of experts that would review abuse cases and determine how money would be disbursed.

“We believe such a program will expedite the process for survivors to present their cases to experienced, compassionate experts who will determine an outcome for each case in a swift, efficient manner,” the group said in the statement. “In doing so, the panel will provide a resolution to survivors and allow them to avoid difficult and prolonged litigation.”

In a statement: Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik said his diocese will cooperate with and contribute to such a fund:

As a bishop and as a Christian, I am committed to finding new ways to offer compassion and support for all victims of child sexual abuse, and to ensure they have a voice. The additional spiritual pain that victims of Catholic priests have endured is of especially deep concern to me and to the Church. 
 
Within the Catholic Church, non-disclosure agreements for child victims of clergy sexual abuse have been forbidden since 2002, and the Diocese of Pittsburgh has not enforced earlier agreements. It is my fervent hope that the legislature will create a similar ban on non-disclosure agreements for all victims of child sexual abuse so that no one can prevent survivors from telling their stories. It is likewise essential to empower law enforcement to respond to all victims, by eliminating criminal statutes of limitation for child sexual abuse, clarifying the rules for mandatory reporting and providing stronger penalties for those who fail to protect children. 
 
The Diocese of Pittsburgh is prepared to cooperate, and to contribute financially, if the legislature creates an independent compensation program for victims of child sexual abuse, which should extend to those abused in any child-serving institution.

 

Cox Media Group

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