Los Angeles
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County, Calif., last week agreed to pay at least $100 million to 87 people who were sexually abused by priests and other church employees—the largest settlement yet in the nationwide scandal. Bishop Tod Brown said the deal, reached after marathon negotiations, was “both fair and compassionate.” Brown offered “a sincere apology” and asked for the victims’ forgiveness on behalf of the church. Joelle Casteix, 34, who in the 1980s was impregnated by a teacher at her Catholic high school, said she will only forgive the church when she is convinced authorities are doing more to “make sure it never happens again.” Separately, the bishop of Spokane announced that his diocese was declaring bankruptcy because of massive payments to victims—the third church district in the nation to do so.
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