Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese releases letter regarding sex abuse settlements

By Beth Finello
Ozarks First
April 3, 2019

https://bit.ly/2WGUPGV

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau has released a letter regarding sex abuse settlements.

Bishop Edward Rice detailed in the letter how much was spent on settlements and legal fees.

In August of 2018, Bishop Rice wrote a letter to members of the church expressing his sorrow for the hurt inflicted upon anyone in the Diocese by the clergy sexual abuse scandal.

In the 2018 letter, Bishop Rice also stated, "in the spirit of accuracy, transparency, and truthfulness, I directed an independent review of diocesan personnel files of all clergy, diocesan and religious, so that we could have an accurate accounting for the 63-year history of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau."

In the newest letter Bishop Rice wrote, "Since that time, a thorough and comprehensive review of the files of all active and deceased diocesan clergy have taken place. Taking more than six months to complete, this included a literal review of each and every note, letter, and document that was available in each man's file. There are cases of allegations of abuse and reports of concerns involving clergy that were previously made decades ago that may not have been found, at that time, to meet the standard of a "credible accusation."