Chicago Archdiocese to Pay $12 Million in Abuse Cases

The Archdiocese of Chicago agreed Thursday to pay $12 million to 19 people who said they had been molested by priests over the last five decades.

Individual settlements will range from $200,000 to $1.7 million, according to attorney Jeffrey R. Anderson, whose firm worked out the agreement with the archdiocese.

At a news conference attended by several of the alleged victims, the archdiocese released the names of the 12 accused priests, along with a list of parishes they had been assigned to. None of the men is currently active in the priesthood and several are dead, Anderson and archdiocesan officials said.

Stanley Cwikla, 62, of Fox River Grove said he was 14 when a priest abused him. He called the crime “a case of rape and murder of the soul.”

Church officials have agreed to develop a Web site that will list all priests who have been named in credible accusations of sexual abuse. The goal is help other victims join in any legal action.