Several priests accused of sex abuse are among those who responded to Archbishop Michael Sheehan's plea for money to help the Archdiocese of Santa Fe settle lawsuits.
Sheehan, in the March issue of the archdiocese's monthly newspaper, said one former priest sent $2,500 and promised to send a total of $20,000 to help cover settlement costs.Roman Catholic parishes also responded to the archbishop's call last December for help in paying settlements of abuse cases filed in the past 21/2 years. The parishes added $1.5 million to the $2 million the Archdiocese of Santa Fe already had in a settlement fund, Sheehan wrote in the publication, People of God.
Only one of the 91 parishes refused, he said.
"We're all just overwhelmed with the response," said the Rev. Richard Olona, chancellor for the archdiocese.
The archdiocese has settled 46 sexual abuse cases against priests. Church officials will not say how much those cost.