Chicago's Roman Catholic archdiocese announced on Tuesday it will pay $12.7 million to settle 16 claims of sexual abuse involving 10 former priests and a school principal. U.S. Catholic archdioceses have paid nearly $2 billion to satisfy hundreds of abuse claims since the scandal broke in Boston in 1992.
Some abusive priests were found to have been shielded by church leaders.
"My hope is that these settlements will help the survivors and their families begin to heal and move forward," Chicago Cardinal Francis George, head of the second-largest U.S. archdiocese, said in a statement.
"I apologize again today to the survivors and their families and to the whole Catholic community. We must continue to do everything in our power to ensure the safety of the children in our care," said George, who became the highest-ranking church official to give a legal deposition when he was questioned in this case.
Victims' lawyer Jeffrey Anderson said "the release of his (George's) deposition today is a significant step toward openness and transparency and helps the survivors and the church community in healing and recovery."
The Chicago church has settled more than 100 cases of clergy abuse, most of them involving child victims, said Marc Pearlman, another lawyer for the victims.
Some of the cases in Tuesday's settlement date to the 1960s, he said.
Two of the 10 Chicago-area priests named in Tuesday's settlement have died and two others are in prison, including Daniel McCormack who abused children as recently as 2006.
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