Diocese Of Brooklyn Creates Fund For Clergy Sex Abuse Victims

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — The Diocese of Brooklyn will create a fund for those who were sexually abused by Catholic priests and deacons as children, but will not release those clergymen's names.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio announced the launch of an Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, which will provide abuse victims with financial compensation, in a statement released Thursday.

“It is difficult to hear about the pain caused by the criminal behavior of members of the clergy,” said DiMarzio in a videotaped statement.

“I am well aware that no amount of money will ever heal the scars of abuse, but this program is a concrete expression of our contrition and our desire to make amends."

The program is modeled on the Archdiocese of New York's compensation fund and will be run by its administrators, Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros.

The Brooklyn diocese, which oversees 186 parishes and 211 churches in Brooklyn and Queens, will take out a loan to pay the compensation costs, according to the statement.

Survivors’ advocates have expressed disappointment that the Brooklyn diocese did meet their demands and release the names of abusive priests, the New York Daily News reported.

Header photo by Steve Ruark/Associated Press