The majority of the 300 or so other victims are identified as Native Americans who attended boarding schools run by the Jesuits until the mid-1970s on Indian reservations.
The Oregon Province, also known as the Northwest Jesuits, encompasses five states, including Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana.
Alaska claimants range in age from their 20s to late 70s and reported abuse by Jesuit clergy from the 1940s to as recently as 2003.
Ken Roosa, an Anchorage attorney representing many of the victims, said he has been aware of the settlement amount since October 2010 and expressed frustration with being unable to notify his clients because of a court gag order.
“I feel a great sense of accomplishment but a great deal of frustration that it has taken so long and several clients have passed away without my being able to disclose this to them,” he said. “That’s really been hard.
“This whole process has been like a never ending root canal, and it is not over yet.”
Roosa called Friday’s announcement another step, but far from a conclusion, saying it will be months yet before all settlement requirements are accomplished and victim compensation begins.
In November 2007, the Oregon Province settled with 113 Alaska Native child sex abuse victims for $50 million — at the time the largest single settlement against a Catholic religious order.
Afterward, as more abuse claimants filed suit, the Oregon Province declared bankruptcy, the first to do so among the 10 Jesuit provinces nationwide.
The province’s $166.1 million bankruptcy settlement marks the largest single payout by a religious order to survivors of sexual abuse by their members.
Once the settlement is completed, Patrick Wall, a former ex-Benedictine and consultant to a California law firm, said it is estimated the province will have paid out more than $250 million in sexual abuse claims in the northwest.
The 57 perpetrators — priests, brothers and employees of the province serving throughout the five-states — came from 14 other Jesuit provinces and seven different countries during the years, Wall said.
Roosa clarified that sexual abuse victims who received compensation from the 2007, $50 million Jesuit settlement are not part of nor eligible for the current bankruptcy settlement.
A portion of the settlement money, $6.4 million, is being set aside to compensate any future, credible sex abuse victims who haven’t come forward to date.
“I know for a fact that there will be some,” Roosa said. “I don’t expect the hundreds as in the past, but there are others out there who for various reasons have not spoken up yet.”
Roosa expects the victim’s fund to potentially double in size with further monetary recovery or insurance payouts.
Now that the bulk of the sexual abuse cases have been settled, the next step is healing in the Native way, Wall said, not in the Freudian or Jungian models.
“That is in the process of being developed,” he added.
As part of the January 2010 Fairbanks Catholic Diocese’s $9.8 million bankruptcy settlement agreement with 300 Alaska Native sexual abuse victims, Bishop Donald Kettler has been traveling to more than two dozen communities in the Interior and the west coast of Alaska where sexual abuse occurred.
Kettler has been meeting with and apologizing to abuse victims and holding listening sessions and healing ceremonies — and holding potlatches at every stop.
Halfway through the mandated trips last fall, Kettler said, “In all the places I’ve gone, there is much more healing to be done.”
Contact staff writer Mary Beth Smetzer at 459-7546.
There will always be good people who do good things and bad people who do evil things, but it takes religion to make good people do evil things... Just look at all of these child raping priests and all of the child rapist protectors in the church.
The Pope should be captured and tried for crimes against humanity - the Vatican auctioned off piece by piece to repay for all of the institutionalized *EVIL* the church has perpetrated.
I want to say, very firmly, that the sexually abusive behavior is IN NO WAY limited to any one, single, fundalmental christen sect. I know of at least one village where **every single young boy** in the village, for a span of 10 years was abused by - a Russian orthodox priest. And there have been charges brought against a Baptist preacher here in one of the Interior's villages, fairly solid suspicions about some members [cohesive groups] in good standing at at least 2 of the local congregations . . .
For sure the Catholic hierarchy appears to have institutionalized and protected such sexual perversion and exploitation of their 'flock' world-wide, but there are other, non-religious organizations that have done, and are still doing the same - 'overlooking' gross perversion and exploitative behavior by their members, defaming and trying to shame their victims, burying records, moving predators to new locations, . . . .
It's going to be a long battle folks. There are some "big guns" locally and politically who are all for protecting this horrible, grotesque, sub-human abuse of our children.
The Bible clearly says that a pastor or bishop is to be "the husband of one wife."
It also says, "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."
Celibacy of the priesthood is a man-made requirement, just as many of the Catholic church's other practices and beliefs.
Look at all of the problems that have come from just this one area of religious leaders thinking they know better than God.
Bornontheyukon, God has not place for cash. Cash is only something that us human beings have come up with. Isn't the high and mighty's currency love and caring? While the devils is pain and suffering.
So that said, it would only be the human beings getting ripped off. Just like it was the human beings that did the horrible deeds in the first place.
I can only hope that us human beings, regardless of our religious or spiritual beliefs, all try to be better people who do not rob or commit sexual abuse against other people.
Each and every accuser should be allowed to testify and offer details, (time, location, perpetrator, etc.) to a panel of lawyers and bishops.
Going by hearsay is not fair to other parishioners who never suffered abuse at the hands of the Jesuits.
And, heaven forbid, if they falsely accuse in order to get some money, they are robbing God Almighty!
More child molesters, hopefully.
Do you have a problem with child molesters being brought to justice, rfn?
Lutherans?
Methodists?
Episcopalians?
Hari Krishnas?
How about sparing us the Euro religio-facism that got children molested instead. You can leave that 50's era bigotry behind while you're at it too, "FMay" (coward).
I hope victims of Jesuit sex crimes will contact independent sources of help, like police, prosecutors, therapists and loved ones, instead of contacting Jesuit officials. When victims, witnesses and whistleblowers disclose to Jesuit officials, that’s often when the cover up starts or intensifies. Child sex abuse is a crime, should be treated like a crime, and should be reported to law enforcement authorities, not Jesuit officials.
On another note, there is much to be said in favor of Native healing rites, when the westernization (Christian religious beliefs)are left out of the factor. Perhaps bringing in some of the traditional healers from BC to assist. They have healers who are capable of performing the cleansing and healing rituals that are done in the old way. Having attended and participated in them, there is healing and there is hope. Leave the westernized mental health people out of it. Most have not physically and emotionally experienced what the victims have and can only create their treatment plans based on what they get from books or gleaned from talking to others.
May there be healing and recovery to all who have endured through this.