Denver Archdiocese settles priest abuse cases

DENVER (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver will pay $5.5 million to settle 16 lawsuits filed by victims of sexual abuse by priests, both sides said on Tuesday.

"I've expressed an apology on behalf of myself, our clergy, and the whole Catholic community," Archbishop Charles Chaput said in a statement announcing the settlement.

The cases involved three now-deceased priests who worked in the archdiocese between 1954 and 1981. Most of the cases involved the Rev. Harold White, who was shuffled around to various parishes despite complaints about him going back to 1960.

"The settlement ... is an acknowledgment that a grave injustice was committed by representatives of the Archdiocese of Denver," said Jeffrey Herman, the attorney for three of White's victims.

The U.S. Catholic Church has been roiled by claims of sexual abuse by priests in the past several years. The scandal erupted in Boston in 2002 and has spread to nearly every U.S. diocese, triggering suits and settlements.

In 2004, a study commissioned by the U.S. bishops revealed that 10,667 people had accused priests of sexual misconduct between 1950 and 2002.

In July 2007, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles paid $660 million to settle claims with some 500 sex-abuse victims, the largest settlement of its kind.

(Editing by Xavier Briand)