Church Abuse Cases Settled in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —  The Louisville Archdiocese announced Tuesday that it will pay $25.7 million to nearly 250 alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests and other employees of the Roman Catholic Church.

Archbishop Thomas Kelly spoke directly to victims in announcing details of the settlement, saying that “no child should ever have had experienced what happened to you.”

“I promise we are doing everything possible to prevent child abuse in the church,” he said. “I apologize again for what we did or failed to do that led to your abuse.”

The deal marks one of the largest settlements in the sexual abuse scandal that has roiled the church, and follows two similar settlements reached in New Hampshire and Boston in the last year.

In September, the Boston Archdiocese agreed to pay $10 million to 86 alleged victims of Father John Geoghan, one of the priests at the center of the scandal.

The archdiocese had rejected an earlier settlement, worth up to $30 million, saying it could not afford it.

The Diocese of Manchester, N.H., reached a $6.5-million settlement with 61 alleged victims.

The Louisville Archdiocese has said it expects to spend more than $1 million on legal, settlement and counseling costs by June 30, the end of its fiscal year.