A New York Catholic diocese settled a sex abuse case in 1997 for nearly $1 million involving a priest who had already been transferred over sexual abuse of a minor, the church confirmed today.
The confidential $997,500 settlement, the latest revelation in the sex-abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church, fell just short of the $1 million ceiling above which the Albany diocese would have been required to get consent of its finance council, the New York Timesreported.
Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany said in a statement that the settlement in the case involving Father Mark Haight was "atypical and unusually high" but would not explain why the settlement was higher than normal.
The victim claims to have been sexually abused for six years starting at age 12 by the priest, who plied him with drugs and alcohol, according to the New York Times.
The abuse, which was alleged to have occurred in the late 1970s and 1980s, came to light in 1996 when the victim notified Glens Falls Hospital, where Haight was serving as chaplain, the church said.
Haight, who had been assigned to the hospital in 1990 following rehabilitation and treatment for another incident of sexual abuse of a minor, was removed from his hospital position and from the ministry after the second set of allegations, the church said.
Dr Hubbard said nine of the diocese's 450 priests over the last 25 years had admitted to sexually abusing minors and that a total of 11 settlements reached with victims amounted to about $2.36 million - all covered by the diocese's liability insurance fund.
A conference of US Catholic bishops earlier this month in Dallas, called after American cardinals were summoned to the Vatican for a special meeting, passed a policy on sexual abuse that ends secret settlements.