The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle has agreed to pay $7.87 million to settle sexual abuse charges against a former priest from 15 former altar boys and students dating back almost 40 years.
Church officials announced the settlement Thursday of all but one claim against James McGreal, 80, who served in several churches and hospitals in the archdiocese, which spans the Washington coast from Canada to Oregon.
Sixteen men in all sued McGreal and the archdiocese. One of the men did not take part in the settlement.
Although the total payment is much smaller, the Seattle settlement is significantly larger on a claim-by-claim basis than the $85 million deal that was struck this week to settle lawsuits filed by hundreds of people who said they were sexually abused by clergy in Boston.
“I deeply regret the pain caused by these events,” Alexander J. Brunett, the archbishop of Seattle, said in a statement. “Our hearts are with the victims, and we will continue to pray and work with them for reconciliation and resolution so that they can move forward with their lives.”
No criminal charges brought
McGreal was ordained in 1948 and served in several parishes and two hospitals in the Seattle area. He resigned in 1988, when Seattle church leaders began reporting allegations to police, disciplining priests and beefing up employee training and screening.
Court documents show accusations that McGreal sexually assaulted the boys, kissing and fondling them and changing clothes in front of them.
McGreal was never charged with a crime, and the statute of limitations has run out on the alleged offenses. He now lives in a locked treatment center for priests in Missouri.
The Seattle archdiocese spent $4.1 million in April to settle 65 cases of sexual abuse by clergy in the 1980s, including $2.8 million in payments to the victims.
Scandals involving abuse by Roman Catholic priests have hit several U.S. cities in recent years, notably in Boston, where Cardinal Bernard Law was forced to resign in December.
Victims’ groups allege that the church has covered up abuse cases and shuttled suspected pedophiles from church to church without warning parishioners.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.