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  LA Crosse Diocese Pays Least Amount of Money to Victims

Associated Press, carried in Duluth News Tribune [LA Crosse WI]
July 17, 2005

LA CROSSE, Wis. - The Catholic Diocese of La Crosse has paid the least amount of money to victims of clergy sexual abuse over the past five decades among Wisconsin's five dioceses, a newspaper reported.

The La Crosse Diocese spent $15,800 on counseling for people who made 58 sexual abuse allegations against 28 diocesan clergy members, according to the Wausau Daily Herald.

The diocese, which has more than 200,000 Catholics, substantiated 31 of those allegations involving 10 clergy members.

La Crosse Diocese spokesman Ben Nguyen said none of the substantiated allegations resulted in lawsuits against the diocese, which prefers not to negotiate legal settlements.

"We've never entered into any type of settlement. We have always met with the people to get to the truth of the matter," he said.

The Wausau Daily Herald reviewed abuse statistics from the state's five Catholic dioceses. The paper found:

_ The Milwaukee Archdiocese paid $3.4 million for out-of-court settlements, attorney fees, therapy costs and other help. The archdiocese, the largest in Wisconsin with about 730,000 Catholics, reported substantiated sexual abuse allegations against 45 clergy members between 1950 and 2002.

_ The Green Bay Diocese paid about $1.36 million, including $1 million paid by insurers to settle claims in three cases against one priest. The diocese is the state's second-largest, with more than 390,000 Catholics.

_ The Madison Diocese paid $1.6 million to 19 people from its self-insurance program. The diocese has nearly 270,000 Catholics.

_ The Superior Diocese paid $60,000 and its insurance company paid $482,000. The diocese, which has about 88,000 Catholics, substantiated sexual abuse allegations against two clergy members between 1950 and 2002.

Brenda Varga, 43, of Plover, said she repeatedly asked the La Crosse Diocese to reimburse her for the years of therapy she underwent after a priest abused her at age 9.

The diocese sent a letter to Varga in August 2003 stating it sufficiently confirmed her complaint against the priest. Nguyen confirmed the diocese has not paid Varga for the therapy.

"I've called (the diocese) and called, but I haven't heard anything," Varga said.

According to a diocese report from 2004, church officials make assistance available to accusers based on need, not on "culpability of the diocese or whether the allegation is substantiated."

Peter Isely, a spokesman for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said a 1995 Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling made it nearly impossible for people to file lawsuits against religious organizations.

The court gave immunity to religious organizations from civil suits over their hiring practices because the justices believed allowing such actions would violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibiting government interference with religion.

"This has made it easy for clergy to hide," Isely said. "The only guarantee is simply to put (the Catholic Church) within the laws without exemptions."

Throughout the United States, sexual abuse by priests has cost the Catholic Church more than $1 billion. The scandal forced dioceses to make changes. In La Crosse, the diocese set up a review board to determine the legitimacy of abuse allegations against priests.