ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – The Roman Catholic Church has been mandated to pay a total of $104 million in settlements to 292 survivors of historical abuse in Newfoundland and Labrador, including victims from the notorious Mount Cashel orphanage in St. John’s.
A report by the insolvency monitor, released today, details that individual compensation from the archdiocese of St. John’s ranges between $55,000 and $850,000. Ernst and Young, the firm behind the report, indicated that the average payout is approximately $356,000.
Geoff Budden, a lawyer whose firm represents over 200 survivors of abuse at Mount Cashel orphanage, operated by the Christian Brothers from the 1940s to the early 1960s, stated that the order is a significant step forward. However, he emphasized that the long struggle for justice is not yet concluded.
Budden noted that the archdiocese has so far managed to gather only around $40 million for the settlements. This amount has been raised through the sale of properties in eastern Newfoundland, including the well-known Basilica-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s.
He plans to argue that additional funds can be sourced from the archdiocese’s insurance policies and potentially from co-defendants involved in the numerous clergy abuse cases, which have driven the church to its current state of financial distress.
Source: The Canadian Press