The medieval Roman catholic Church sold indulgences to sinners who thought cash could purchase exoneration in heaven. Today it's the church that is handing out money in hopes of buying forgiveness for itself. The surging scandal over sexual abuse by the priesthood is proving as financially damaging to the church as it is hurtful to the faith, as Catholic dioceses across the country dole out huge sums to victims to compensate them for their pain and keep them silent. Desperate to put the worst behind it, the Boston archdiocese agreed last week to pay $20 million to $30 million to settle the high-profile lawsuits brought by 86 victims of defrocked priest John Geoghan. But that was hardly all that the scandal has cost Boston's Catholics. In confidential settlements intended to avoid any whiff of publicity, the church, starting in 1994, gave $15 million to a group of victims molested by Geoghan. In one instance, according to the Boston Globe, a single family got $400,000 to hush up the sexually explicit phone calls Geoghan made to the children. And there are at least 120 more claims pending against Geoghan and a dozen other Boston priests that could jack up the total to $100 million.
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