Sex Abuse Cases Have Church Reeling : Crisis: Catholic dioceses across U.S. prepare to pay tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees and reparations.

First came the moral outrage as priests were accused of unspeakable crimes against young boys. Then came the criminal cases and prison sentences meted out to the worst offenders, men of little faith who molested scores of children.

And now come the financial shock waves as Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the country prepare to pay tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees and reparations to victims.

Consider that two archdioceses heavily hit by sexual abuse costs--Santa Fe, N.M., and Chicago--both face the prospect of becoming the first U.S. diocese to seek bankruptcy protection.

Estimates of the costs of the priest sex abuse scandals in the United States range as high as half a billion dollars. Author Jason Berry said the $400-million figure he came up with in 1992 is conservative.

Church officials consider those figures exaggerated. But Mark Chopko, general counsel for the U.S. Catholic Conference, said dioceses have spent at least $60 million in settlements, not including legal and medical fees associated with the cases.

Is there any end in sight?

Catholic leaders said they have learned their lesson, and are treating sexual abuse victims with the compassion and understanding they have sought all along from their spiritual homes.

“You can see that things are handled radically different from the way they were handled before,” Chopko said.

But advocates for victims believe the costs will continue to escalate. They said money--not a sudden spiritual awakening--is a major factor behind the church’s newfound activism on the issue.

“It’s cynical to say finances have motivated the church, but it’s accurate,” said David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.

Figures are difficult to come by, with many dioceses saying settlements are confidential and insurance companies reluctant to divulge settlements for fear of encouraging more claims.

“The churches and insurers won’t tell anyone the figures. That’s the big secret,” said Clarence Dziak, president of Associated Insurance Professionals Inc. in Albuquerque, N.M.

But there is little question the Catholic Church in the United States has taken a financial hit from the sex abuse scandals. Here are some of the prominent cases:

* The Archdiocese of Santa Fe is asking parishes for cash as it grapples with scores of sex abuse lawsuits that could cost up to $50 million. Archbishop Michael Sheehan said insurance companies are balking at making payments, and the archdiocese could be forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Among the sacrifices parishes have made, Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Bernalillo, N.M., voted to the give the archdiocese a third of its savings, $20,000, delaying improvements and plans to build a plaza outside the 19th-Century church. Albuquerque’s Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary offered $100,000 it had saved for a new roof.

* The Archdiocese of Chicago, which Cardinal Joseph Bernardin has warned runs the risk of bankruptcy despite painful rounds of church and school closings, spent $2.8 million on sexual misconduct cases in 1993, the same year it ran a nearly $4.5-million deficit.

* In the Diocese of Lafayette, La., where shocking tales of sodomy and oral sex came out in court cases against the Rev. Gilbert Gauthe, attorney Bob Wright would only say that the church paid $5 million to $10 million in settlements.

* The Diocese of Camden, N.J., has paid $3.2 million to 19 men and women since 1990 to settle complaints of sexual abuse against nine priests, according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Other dioceses are also making financial plans. For example, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has set aside $2 million for sex abuse cases, and anticipates spending $2.65 million in settlements.

As the issue of clergy sexual abuse continues to be brought out in the open, additional lawsuits are expected.

“The numbers are bound to continue escalating,” said Berry, author of “Lead Us Not Into Temptation,” a 1992 book about sexual abuse by priests. “The question none of us have been able to answer is when does this reach the critical mass. When do we reach the plateau?”

Church officials said moderating factors are already in place. Diocesan bishops have appointed independent review boards to handle allegations, abusive priests are no longer routinely transferred to other parishes and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops voted for changes in church law to make it easier to dismiss abusive clergy from the priesthood.

In a hopeful sign, Chopko said there are almost no new cases of sexual abuse. Most of the cases today involve repressed memory of past abuse.

Both sides agree that the church’s initial response to allegations is critical.

Only about 5% of members of the abuse survivors network sue, Clohessy estimated. Chopko said the average victim is looking for something other than money.

In the long run, Chopko said, they want someone to say ‘I’m sorry’ and to assure them the priest who abused them never will be allowed to do the same thing to someone else.

“They want the church, in short, to act like a church,” Chopko said.