Archdiocese of Philadelphia settles child sex abuse case against a deceased priest for $3.5 million

By BROOKE SCHULTZ
Associated Press/Report for America

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will pay $3.5 million to settle a case that alleged one of its priests sexually assaulted a teenage boy nearly two decades ago. The lawsuit said the church knew of similar reports about the priest dating back to the 1970s. Attorneys for the victim announced the settlement on Wednesday. An archdiocese spokesperson says the church regrets “pain suffered by any survivor of child sexual abuse” and wants to help victims heal. In 2018, a grand jury found that hundreds of Roman Catholic priests in Pennsylvania molested more than 1,000 children since the 1940s, and senior church officials systematically covered up the abuse.