A Roman Catholic diocese in Nova Scotia will try to
close a dark chapter in its history this week as it wraps up a sex abuse
settlement with 125 people, but the lawyer representing them says they
continue to heal their emotional wounds.
The final instalment of a $16-million
compensation settlement for confirmed and alleged victims of sexual
abuse is due Thursday from the Diocese of Antigonish, bringing a close
to a long legal process spearheaded by Ronald Martin.
Martin launched a class-action lawsuit
against the diocese after his brother wrote a suicide note in 2002
alleging Hugh Vincent MacDonald, a priest, sexually abused him.
MacDonald was charged with sex-related offences in 2003 but died a year
later before the court process concluded.
Martin's concerns prompted dozens of people
to come forward with similar allegations dating back more than 60 years
against several priests who worked for the diocese.
"This has been a very long and difficult
process and Ron Martin took this on his shoulders," said Halifax lawyer
John McKiggan, who represented the plaintiffs.
"I know personally it's been a source of a
great deal of stress for Ron because he felt not only the obligation to
fulfil a promise to his brother, but also the obligation he undertook on
behalf of all the class members."
Martin did not return messages seeking comment.
McKiggan said he believes the final payment
will give plaintiffs a sense of relief after struggling with the
uncertainty of whether the diocese, which was forced to put some of its
assets up for sale, could come up with the full settlement.
"I know that the survivors that I've talked
to recently are certainly looking forward to being able to close the
book on this and move forward," said McKiggan.
He said the settlement was not about money — it was about holding the Roman Catholic Church accountable for past misdeeds.
"This was never about money to begin with.
For Ron Martin, this was about fulfilling a promise ... and holding
someone accountable for what happened to him and all the other
survivors," said McKiggan.
"That has been achieved through the class-action, but trying to heal ... that's a process that's ongoing."
Rev. Donald MacGillivray, a spokesman for
the diocese, said it is prepared to make the last payment. But the
settlement has become a significant financial burden for the diocese,
which has lost many members in recent years, he added.
"People have found this really difficult. The whole thing has been terribly distasteful," he said.
"The fact that the diocese had to do this
in the first place, that these wrongdoings occurred in the first place,
has really been difficult for people."
The diocese put about 150 properties up for sale. More than 100 parishes were drained of their savings, MacGillivray said.
Also included in the sale of assets was the
Casket, a local weekly newspaper owned by the diocese. It was bought by
the owner of the Halifax Chronicle Herald.
MacGillivray said at the St. Anthony Daniel
Parish in Sydney, N.S., where he serves as a pastor, about $8,500 in
cash was funnelled into the settlement — the church's entire savings.
"It's really difficult for parishioners who
had nothing to do with this, have no responsibility, but yet, they're
requiring to be involved in sacrificing so this payment can be made," he
said.
But MacGillivray said the diocese can soon turn its attention to rebuilding its finances.
"The savings that parishes had to give up,
we'll have to work at trying to collect the funds we need to do the work
that we need to do," he said.
Raymond Lahey, the former bishop of the
diocese, helped broker the settlement in August 2009. That came weeks
before he was charged with importing child pornography into Canada. He
was later convicted, sentenced to time served, and defrocked by the Holy
See in Rome.
The settlement will provide $13 million to
alleged and confirmed victims of sexual abuse at the hands of priests
who worked for the diocese between 1950 and September 2009. The rest of
it will cover legal and administrative fees.
McKiggan said some of the plaintiffs have
been awarded funding for counselling that will continue on an ongoing
basis, and there is also a reconciliation process that they can
participate in along with the diocese.
"The purpose is to try to mend fences and heal the wounds," he said.
MacGillivray said he is optimistic the diocese and the plaintiffs will be able to move on.
"Healing always takes time," said MacGillivray. "But I'm a person of hope, and that's what my faith calls me to be."