One-hundred and ten Eskimos will split $50 million to be paid by the Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic Church, as a settlement for alleged sexual abuse by priests and missionaries in remote Alaskan villages.

While many details are still unfinished, lawyers for the Jesuits did confirm that a settlement has been reached. The settlement calls for $50 million to the victims, in exchange for the release of all claims. The settlement does not include a formal admission of guilt, as no criminal charges were filed.

The suit alleges that 12 priests and three missionaries molested Eskimo children in up to 15 villages between 1961 and 1987. The quantity of allegations led to the belief that the church was sending accused molesters to Alaska as a “dumping ground”. Jesuit officials have denied this theory.

This settlement follows the Archdiocese of Los Angeles paying out $550 million to 508 victims, and the Diocese of San Diego paying $198 million to 144 victims earlier this year.

The Fairbanks diocese hasn’t yet agreed to this settlement, so the monetary figures may change still.

I don’t know what’s worse — that we keep hearing about these church sex abuse cases, or that we hear about them so much that it isn’t even mainstream news anymore. Hopefully, each and every one of these stories will be reported, perhaps leading one day to the churches themselves being held accountable.

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