Catholic Church Grapples with the High Price of Clergy Sexual Abuse

By Kerri Miller and Manda Lillie with Julie Craven and Father Kevin Finnegan
MPR News
July 3, 2018

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/07/03/how-churches-and-congregants-will-pay-the-price-for-decades-of-priest-sex-abuse

Parishioners attend Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes in northeast Minneapolis on Sunday, June 3, 2018. The parish was not directly affected by clergy abuse claims, but Father Dan Griffith took the last few minutes of Mass on Sunday to discuss the Twin Cities archdiocese's $210 million settlement with abuse survivors. Nina Moini | MPR News

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will need to pay victims of abuse more than $210 million in a settlement that has brought them to the seek bankruptcy protection.

This money will go to about 450 survivors who are represented in the settlement. About $40 million of the $210 million will be paid by the church; the rest will be paid by insurers.

How does the church move on from this? Do parishioners trust the process? Are they confident that the issue of sexual abuse is over within the church?

Host Kerri Miller spoke to two guests: Julie Craven who is the director of communications Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Minneapolis and Father Kevin Finnegan of Our Lady of Grace in Edina.

Use the audio player above to hear the full discussion