Sex abuse suits seek $3.1 million Jesuits sent to their ministries

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Suits seek money Jesuits sent to their ministries

Lawyers for those accusing Jesuit priests of sex abuse say an extra $3.1 million should be added to a Jesuit asset tally, which is being used to parcel out settlement amounts. The attorneys are not accusing the Oregon Province of Jesuits or any of its affiliated ministries of attempting to hide the funds, but say the money spent before the 2009 declaration of bankrupcty simply should be figured in. The declaration came in the form of 37 lawsuits seeking money from various payees and ministries of the Jesuits, including Jesuit High School. The suits were filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Portland Feb. 17. The lawsuits say the Jesuits sent money to many of its entities before the bankruptcy filing. Among those was Jesuit High, which received about $31,000. Gonzaga University in Spokane got $232,000. The Jesuit Volunteer Corps got a $17,000 payment that plaintiffs want included in the settlement amount.    This educational aid and other payments were made at a time when accusers were seeking settlements. "I don't think this is a hiding issue," plaintiffs' attorney James Stang told the Oregonian. "It's not illegal. This is what Jesuits do. They support education. That's a fine thing to do, when you're not insolvent." Other funds helped train Jesuit seminarians, care for elderly Jesuits, pay faculty and support tuition for students in need. Between 2001 and early 2009, the Jesuits settled more than 200 legal claims, paying out $25 million for abuse that occured decades ago and mostly in Alaska. The bankruptcy of two years ago was a way to save money for remaining and subsequent suits and make sure settlements are equitable. "Jesuit High School contends that those claims are completely without merit," says a statement from the school. "Jesuit High School's assets are not at risk in any way due to the Oregon Province's bankruptcy proceeding or this latest claim by the creditors' committee. We will remain a fiscally healthy institution committed to educating young men and women in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition." Jesuit Father Patrick Lee, provincial superior of the Oregon Province of Jesuits, said he could not comment on the lawsuits "out of respect for the judicial process and all involved." Read more at www.catholicsentinel.org

 

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