Catholic Church to Pay Millions in Abuse Cases

After years of denials and painful negotiations, the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland agreed to pay $110 million to people who were sexually abused as children by priests, nuns and other church officials in decades past.

The deal was designed to conclude a 10-year struggle by the church to overcome sex scandals involving its clergy going back to the 1940s.

In exchange for the church’s financial commitment, the government agreed to indemnify the church against further legal action by victims in Ireland. Any victim who accepts money from the fund must agree to drop legal action against the church or state.