The Richmond diocese will distribute $6.3 million to 51 survivors of sexual abuse who said Catholic priests abused them.

The Catholic Diocese of Richmond said they formed the Independent Reconciliation Program (IRP) that is not funded through any types of offerings, endowments, school funds or other parish-designated finances. Bishop Barry C. Knestout said the IRP is funded through the diocese’s self-insurance program, a loan and contributions from other religious orders and that no parish or school assets are involved.

Knestout said through a report on the IRP that the church understand no amount of financial compensation could ever heal the wounds inflicted by abusive clergy, but that the creation of the IRP is “a tangible sign of the Church’s effort to repair the injury and overcome the estrangement caused by clergy sexual abuse of minors.”

Richmond Diocese Accepted Most Claims

According to IRP report, the program received 68 claims, but six were deemed ineligible and two were either withdrawn or never completed. Of the 60 eligible claims submitted, the program administrators denied nine of those.

The 51 claims found eligible were offered financial reconciliation through the program and all 51 accepted the offers.

According to the diocese, only an independent claims administrator made eligibility decisions. After accepting a payment from the IRP, sexual abuse survivors reportedly waive their right to file any future civil legal claim against the Diocese of Richmond regarding the matter.

Knestout committed to creating the IRP in 2018 to help victims of child sexual abuse by any member of the diocese’s clergy. Victims’ privacy is protected and will remain confidential.

The diocese had no influence with the evaluation of claims or the monetary amounts offered per claim. Those decisions and details were handled by a third party administrator.

“The completion of this program is by no means the end of our efforts to provide for our diocese’s victim survivors. Our outreach is ongoing,” wrote Knestout in a letter to the congregation. “We must, and we will, continue to meet victim survivors with support and compassion motivated by our shared love of Jesus Christ.”

Richmond Diocese Review of Priests Continues

In June, four names associated with the Diocese of Richmond were added to the list of priests under investigation as part of the Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal.

Bishop Knestout stated at the time that allegations of child sexual abuse were under investigation. No results have been publicly released, but according to the local NBC news affiliate, the diocese said it also had notified the authorities.

Details of the allegations were not provided, and no update has been given on the status of the investigations.

Father William Dinga Jr. faces accusations that he committed child sexual abuse while serving at Christ the King Catholic Church in Norfolk in 1986. He retired in 1990 and denies the charges, but the Richmond diocese said Dinga’s priestly faculties were suspended (and remain suspended) even before these allegations surfaced.

Father Joseph Slowik is accused of sexually abusing children in the 1990s. He’s not responded to the allegations, but the church indicates it will proceed assuming Slowik denies the allegations. At the time of the purported abusive behavior, Slowik was with St. Paul’s in Portsmouth. The diocese says Slowik was removed from public ministry in 2006 and that he is still suspended from priestly faculties.

Father Thomas L. Long, Jr. stands accused of child sexual abuse in 1986 when he was serving at Christ the King Catholic School in Norfolk. He reportedly began a leave of absence in 1988, which ended his time serving the Richmond diocese. His priestly faculties were suspended even before the recent allegations and remain suspended. The diocese has been unable to obtain a response from Long, and will continue with the investigation based on the assumption he denies the allegations.

Father Eugene Daigle is accused of child sexual abuse in the late 1970s while he was a religious order priest at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea in Fort Monroe. Even though he is no longer active in priestly ministry, the Diocese of Richmond alerted the provincial superior of the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province because they note that is who he reports to. Daigle has not responded to the allegations, which means the investigation will continue based on the assumption he denies them.

Catholic Church Struggles with Financial Obligations

Several Catholic dioceses in the U.S. have been struggling financially after facing multiple sexual abuse class action lawsuits.

The Diocese of Rockville Centre serves 1.5 million people on Long Island in New York, but had to declare bankruptcy because of 200-plus lawsuits it’s facing.

The New York Times reports upwards of 20 dioceses in the U.S. have filed for bankruptcy protection since 2004, as reported by BishopAccountability.org.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.