BOSTON DIOCESE KNEW OF ABUSE, RECORDS SHOW

As alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse began considering the Boston Roman Catholic Archdiocese's offer to settle 542 lawsuits, records were released publicly showing that the archdiocese paid at least $21.2 million in settlements to 149 people between 1994 and 2001.  Annual reports prepared by church officials show that the archdiocese's Sexual Misconduct Delegate's Office received 210 new claims against church employees between July 1994 and October 2001.  The records did not specify what happened to the other 61 cases.  The reports were made public Monday after they were released to lawyers representing alleged victims who have pending lawsuits against the archdiocese.  The records reinforce claims that top church administrators, including Cardinal Bernard Law, did little to address the problem of sexual abuse.

(Boston, Massachusetts)