- WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) -
Hundreds of lawsuits alleging abuse in Indian schools have forced the Roman
Catholic order that administrated them to file for bankruptcy protection.
-
- The Oblates of Mary Immaculate is facing 2,500 separate
claims for compensation from alleged victims of physical and sexual abuse
in residential schools run by the order.
-
- "We deeply regret having to take this action but
we really have no choice," the Rev. James Fiori said in a statement
issued Tuesday.
-
- The Oblates order has paid $500,000 in legal bills over
the past two years, and expects an additional $400,000 in legal costs each
year until the situation is resolved, according to Fiori.
-
- "According to our auditor, at the current rate of
spending, we will fully deplete our resources by 2006 and will be unable
to meet existing obligations if certain protective measures are not taken,"
Fiori said.
-
- Students at the residential schools say they lost their
native language and culture and often faced physical and sexual abuse.
The schools were most prominent in the decades after World War II.
-
- Copyright © 2002 The Associated Press
|
