The following is an excerpt from a letter from Bishop Kevin Vann of the Diocese of Orange, published by OC Catholic:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
In May, together with Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Dioceses of Fresno, San Bernardino, San Diego and Sacramento, the Diocese of Orange announced a new compensation program that will be available to any person who was sexually abused as a minor by diocesan priests of the participating dioceses, no matter when that abuse might have occurred. While new cases of sexual misconduct by priests involving minors are rare today in the Catholic Church in California, the Bishops undertake this program as another step in their continued efforts to provide avenues for victim-survivors of abuse to receive assistance for continued healing.
Effective September 16, 2019, the California Independent Compensation Program for Victim-Survivors of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests (ICP) will begin to accept registrations from victims at its website: www.CaliforniaDiocesesICP.com. We urge you to learn more about this important program by going directly to this website.
The ICP is entirely independent from the Church. Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros, widely recognized as the premier dispute resolution administrators in the country, will administer the program. An independent oversight committee, consisting of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Gov. Gray Davis (ret.), and Hon. Maria Contreras-Sweet (former Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing in California, and former Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration) will oversee the administration of the ICP.
With gratitude for your continued support and prayers,
Most Rev. Kevin W. Vann, J.C.D., D.D.
Bishop of Orange
I thought this was over already. I’m so sick of hearing about this.
The ICP is entirely independent from the Church? How will it be funded to pay those seeking jackpot justice? Of course it will be funded by diverting donations from the faithful. How interesting that the letter says nothing about the amount of funding nor the source of funding. Follow the money.
What if you were sexually abused by a priest from a religious order and not a minor. Where do such as these go for redress?
I thought this program had merit. A relatively independent group determining the amount of compensation for victims with proven abuse cases. Then I saw a television commercial for a law firm questioning the program and, of course, advocating for their services. Perhaps the law firm is just ‘ambulance chasing’.
Hello California Catholics:
Is there any way for a catholic to know if a bishop has a just reason to ban his seminarians from associating with the Society of Saint Peter Damian? I have not been able to find much on the Internet about them and do not wish to enter into rash judgement against a bishop.