The Catholic Church is set to allocate 104 million Canadian dollars (£60m) to compensate hundreds of sexual abuse victims in eastern Canada.
Following a 2020 legal finding, the Archdiocese of St. John was implicated in one of Canada’s most egregious child sex abuse scandals at the now-closed Mount Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland and Labrador province.
The court identified that the abuse, initiated by priests and church officials, began in 1940 and persisted for decades.
This settlement will benefit a total of 292 victims with individual compensation amounts ranging from 55,000 (£31m) to 850,000 Canadian dollars (£486,285) according to the Inquirer.
Ernst & Young has been designated to act as a neutral intermediary in determining the specific compensation each victim will receive.
Geoff Budden, representing the abuse survivors, shared with AFP that the settlement amount was consistent with "similar compensation from other courts". He further reflected on the public’s unawareness of the abuse's extent and pervasiveness.
Despite the Archdiocese of St. John declaring bankruptcy in 2021, it succeeded in raising 40 million Canadian dollars (£22.8m) through property sales. Budden expressed optimism regarding the victims' full compensation receipt to the outlet, noting that "There are still assets that need to be processed, including insurance products."