Lawyers representing the largest US archdiocese and 508 victims of abuse
appeared at Los Angeles Superior Court to confirm the settlement, the biggest
since the Catholic clergy sex scandals erupted in 2002.
The settlement was hammered out at the weekend during marathon negotiations,
heading off the prospect of a potentially explosive civil trial.
Ray Boucher, the lead lawyer for the victims, said the money would be paid to
victims by December 1 this year, telling reporters the deal would help those
abused cope with feelings of guilt and shame.
"The settlement today was an acknowledgment to the victims that they did
nothing wrong, that it was not their fault," Mr Boucher said.
"That it was the fault of despicable, evil men that did despicable, evil
things.
"Their youth was stolen from them and the church failed to take steps, or in
many cases any step, to protect them. Often, instead, the church protected the
priests and their own."
Mr Boucher said the settlement also provided for the release of previously
confidential personnel files of priests, which would shed light on what church
leaders knew about the abuse and when they knew it.
The main events in the ongoing sex abuse scandal involving the US Roman
Catholic Church and in particular the Boston Archdiocese, which has been at the
centre of many of the highest-profile accusations.
Timeline
Cardinal Law resigned, accused of covering up sex abuse by priests 1984:
Bernard Law is appointed archbishop of Boston, and elevated to cardinal a year
later.
1985: Sex abuse by priests becomes a national issue in the US for the first
time, as Louisiana priest Gilbert Gauthe pleads guilty to 11 counts of
molestation of boys.
1992-3: The Reverend James Porter of Fall River diocese, Massachusetts, is
accused of abusing children in five US states in the 1960s and 1970s. He later
pleads guilty to 41 counts of abuse.
1992: US bishops meeting in South Bend, Indiana, admit attempts by some of
their number to hide abuse.
1993: First legal proceedings brought against Dallas diocese over sex abuse by
the priest Rudolph Kos.
13 July, 1998: Dallas diocese forced to pay more than $31m to victims of Kos.
1999: Former Massachusetts priest John Geoghan indicted on child rape charges.
8 January, 2002: Vatican publishes guidelines on how to deal with paedophile
priests, saying all cases should be reported to Rome.
Geoghan was jailed for 10 years in 2002 - and later killed in prison
9 January: Cardinal Law apologises to victims of John Geoghan and promises a
tougher line on abusive priests in future.
18 January: Geoghan convicted of indecent assault and battery of a 10-year-old
boy, for which he later receives a 10-year prison sentence.
4 April: Two US men, in Florida and Oregon, begin legal action which
symbolically names the Vatican for its alleged role in covering up sex abuse
cases.
8 April: File released on the Rev Paul Shanley, alleging he publicly advocated
sex between men and boys and still received the backing of the archdiocese for
his ministry.
23 April: Pope John Paul II calls emergency meeting with US cardinals in Rome.
2 May: Paul Shanley arrested in California and later charged on three counts of
child rape. He denies the charges.
13 June: US bishops approve "zero tolerance" national policy on abuse, but the
Vatican demands changes to protect rights of priests.
17 September: Boston Jesuit priest James Talbot charged with raping and
assaulting three teenaged students.
19 September: The Boston Archdiocese reaches $10m settlement with victims of
John Geoghan, retracting a previous settlement of $30m which the Church said
would have bankrupted the archdiocese.
Shanley was convicted of raping at least one boy
3 November: Cardinal Law apologises for "decisions which led to suffering".
13 November: US bishops meet in Washington and approve revised policy on
abusive priests which takes account of Vatican concerns.
On the same day, Roman Catholic activists from the Survivors First group launch
an online database listing 573 US priests accused of involvement in paedophilia
since 1996, later dropping 100 of the names.
3 December: New revelations about eight priests in Boston archdiocese accused
of abusing women and girls, taking drugs and supplying drugs in return for
sexual favours.
6 December: Cardinal Law leaves for the Vatican, on the same day that he
reportedly is ordered to appear before a grand jury investigating sex abuse
allegations.
13 December: Cardinal Law resigns as archbishop.
The Vatican has demanded some protection for accused priests
April 2003: The Boston Archdiocese avoids bankruptcy by agreeing to sell land
and buildings for over $100m to fund legal settlements to more than 500 abuse
victims.
24 August: John Geoghan is killed in a Massachusetts prison.
27 February 2004: A report commissioned by the Church says more than 4,000 US
Roman Catholic priests had faced sexual abuse allegations in the last 50 years,
in cases involving more than 10,000 children - mostly boys.
1 July: The key accuser of defrocked priest Paul Shanley is dropped from the
case by prosecutors.
7 July: In an unprecedented move, the Portland Archdiocese files for bankruptcy
because of the huge costs from clergy sex abuse lawsuits.
The action halts a trial of a lawsuit seeking some $155m against the late Rev
Maurice Grammond, who was accused of molesting more than 50 boys in the 1980s.
28 September: Prosecutors drop a case against former Massachusetts bishop
Thomas Dupre, hours after he is charged with raping two children in the 1970s.
15 November: US Roman Catholic bishops elect Bishop William Skylstad as their
new president. His Washington diocese faces bankruptcy due to the volume of
compensation claims made by alleged victims of child abuse.
3 December: After two years of talks, the diocese of Orange County, California,
settles a sex abuse lawsuit brought by 87 plaintiffs for an unspecified sum.
The diocese later says the package is worth $100m (£53m).
7 February 2005: A US court convicts Paul Shanley of four charges relating to
offences committed in the 1980s including rape and indecent assault.
June: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, California, agrees to pay $35m
(£17m) to 33 victims.
August: The Diocese of Oakland, California, agrees to pay $56m (£27.5m) to 56
people.
December 2006: The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agrees to pay $60m (£30m) to
settle to 45 cases of alleged sexual abuse by priests.
January 2007: The Spokane diocese in Washington agrees to pay at least $48m
(£24.7m) as compensation to people abused by priests.
July: A lead plaintiff lawyer says the Los Angeles Archdiocese has reached a
financial settlement with 500 alleged sex abuse victims. Unnamed sources put
the figure at $660m (£324m), but the settlement is yet to be approved by a
judge.
AFP, BBC and staff contributed to this report
