MISSOURI
KCUR
By CODY NEWILL
Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests announced Saturday two more settlements against the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph related to a former priest who took lewd photos of young parishioners.
Two civil suits were settled between the diocese and three litigants Friday. Two girls and their mother were awarded $200,000 and payment for counseling services related to sexual abuse by former priest Shawn Ratigan.
The diocese has spent millions in settlement funds related to dozens of cases of sexual abuse over the last seven years, including a $10 million payout in 2008.
Robert Bates is a SNAP member, and a victim of abuse. He says the settlement should help the victims heal, but the money can only go so far.
“You can’t erase the hurt you cause to someone’s soul,” Bates said. “It goes deeper than your flesh, emotions, your intellect and your mentality. It’s a long process of healing.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.