Catholic Church OKs settlement, acknowledges Nome abuse 04/05/05

Anchorage, Alaska -- The Roman Catholic Church confirmed Monday it has reached a settlement with a woman who accused a Nome priest of molesting her in the 1970s.

The Rev. John D. Whitney, provincial supervisor of the Society of Jesus, Oregon Province, acknowledged that the Rev. James Poole had abused a victim. Whitney apologized on behalf of the church.

"We apologize to the victim of this misconduct, and to all who have suffered a loss of hope and trust," Whitney said. "We ask forgiveness as we strive to ensure that such actions do not happen again."

Attorney Ken Roosa said early last month that the church had settled the case with his client, Elsie Boudreau, who now lives in the Anchorage area. Roosa repeated Monday that the settlement was for about $1 million and said the public acknowledgment and apology was new.

"It's the first time the Jesuits have publicly acknowledged Father Poole was a child molester," Roosa said. "It provides hope to all of his other victims out there that that there my be some justice for them if they come forward."

Read the article at JuneauEmpire.com Dated 04/05/05

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