The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cape Girardeau and Springfield has announced in a letter that details the financial expenditure’s of the diocese in connection to sexual abuse over its 64 year history.
The Church has spent a total of 700,000 dollars over the last 30 years in connection to sex abuse claims. Of that, 70,000 has gone to victim support, 450,000 to settlement, and 189,000 to legal fees. None of the money spent came from local churches.
The letter names 16 diocesan priests who were accused of abusing minors over the 64 years of the diocese’s existence.
According to the bishop’s letter, none of these abuses involve anyone in current ministry and all but three occurred before 1990. The internal investigation was launched by the diocese less than a month after the Pennsylvania scandal.
