Seven people who were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests have reached a total of 16 settlements involving financial compensation and counseling with the Boston Archdiocese.
The victims are in Ohio, Pennsylvania, California and New Jersey. The settlements are worth 1 million dollars. One of the settlements involves the Columbus Catholic Diocese and a man sexually abused by a local priest decades ago. Jim Letizia reports.
The victim was a teenager when he was first abused by the Reverend Ronald Atwood in 1975 at his Bishop Ready High School office. The abuse continued for the next four years during road trips to Illinois, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri and other places. The victim's attorney will not disclose the amount of the settlment, and says there are dozens of other victims of the 72-year-old Atwood who have not come forward. Atwood was removed from his duties in 2013, after the diocese received a complaint that he had abused a minor from 1976 to 1979 when he served at Bishop Ready and two Columbus churches. Advocates for victims say monetary compensation is an acknowledgement by the church of abuse allegations because they often are unable to bring criminal complaints in court within the statute of limitations.The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, wants the Columbus Diocese to follow the lead of at least two dozen others and publicly list the names of all local priests who are accused of sex abuse. The group has counted 20 so far. Atwood pleaeded no contest in 1999 to charges of exposing himself at a far east side park. He paid a 150 dollar fine.
