More than 400 survivors of sexual abuse in the Catholic church, specifically the Pittsburgh diocese, reported allegations of the abuse by formally registering with the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program by the July 31 deadline.

They have filed or are allowed to file claims for financial compensation through the program, which has already paid nearly $4 million among 26 victims, as reported by officials who administer the funds.

Of the recent registrations, 372 have not been reviewed for eligibility. Fund administrators have said there could be duplicate registrations on file, and some of the allegations may be against religious-order priests or lay teachers, neither of whom are included in the compensation program.

Only sexual abuse victims whose abuse was committed by priests and deacons who were ordained by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh are eligible for compensation through the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program. Survivors are asked to register by providing a summary of their cases. If upon initial review, the case is determined eligible, the survivor is sent a claim form.

The deadline to file a full claim through the program in regard to the Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal in Pennsylvania is Sept. 30.

Repercussions of Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church

According to numbers from the Pittsburgh diocese, $7 million was paid to victims between 1991 and mid-2019. An additional $3.8 million was spent on lawyer fees.

A Pennsylvania grand jury report released in August of last year found more than 300 priests were accused of committing sexual abuse over the course of 70 years in diocese of Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg and Scranton. A total of 90 of those accused were from Pittsburgh’s diocese.

That report indicated a majority of the abuse was committed prior to 1990, and many believed the statute of limitations would protect the Pennsylvania dioceses from suffering financial repercussions.

After the public learned of the history of abuse allegations, the diocese was under pressure to create the compensation program, which was announced in December 2018. Survivors who file claims are allowed to decide whether they want to accept a settlement offer through the program or file a lawsuit against the diocese.

The additional allegations that church personnel conspired for decades to keep the abuse secret has helped some cases overcome the objection that the statute of limitations has run out. That argument prevailed at the Superior Court level several months ago, but the statute of limitations continues to be a factor.

When the Pennsylvania grand jury’s report was released, laws in many other states were changed to allow now-adults who were survivors of sexual abuse when they were children to have more time to file charges and seek compensation for their pain and suffering.

Even though Pennsylvania’s grand jury inspired those changes in law, Pennsylvania did not proceed with any actions the grand jury suggested.

According to a report in The Washington Post, Pennsylvania’s Republican senators feared lawsuits could leave churches in bankruptcy and that cases that were decades old may not be considered fair trials.

When Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati suggested protecting institutions from lawsuits and only allowing individuals to be sued, Democrats declined to back such a bill. In the end, no new bill helping survivors of sexual abuse in the Catholic church was passed in Pennsylvania this year.

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