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Woman reveals archdiocese's abuse settlement

CHICAGO - A Florida woman who accused three priests of sexual misconduct released copies Saturday of a $125,000 settlement she reached with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago in 2004.

The archdiocese offered the settlement after the woman claimed a priest molested her 40 years ago when she was 16 and two other priests had sexual relations with her when she was a young adult, according to a copy of the settlement agreement.

The woman, Linda Lee Burke, 56, of Manatee County, said she decided to make the settlement public after seeing how the archdiocese handled recent allegations of sexual abuse by another priest, the Rev. Daniel McCormack. He is accused of molesting three boys between September 2001 and January 2005, but was allowed to remain at his parish until he was charged on Jan. 21 with aggravated criminal sexual abuse - months after an allegation was made to police.

"I was very distressed when I heard all that and really thought the church had developed enough of a program that they would be able to address the issue," Burke said Saturday in a telephone interview.

She said she "realized I'm protecting these priests by not naming them."

The archdiocese admits no negligence or wrongdoing in the settlement.

Chicago attorney Joseph Klest confirmed he represented Burke in the 2004 settlement.

In the settlement, the archdiocese acknowledges that Burke claimed the Rev. John Rohrich "sexually abused Burke while Burke was a minor," but denies negligence.

The settlement states that "some of the priests have either specifically denied that they abused Burke or are dead and unable to respond to these allegations."

Rohrich, who was a priest at St. Eulalia parish in Maywood and at St. Matthias in Chicago during the alleged abuse, left the priesthood to marry, Burke said.

Burke, who publicized the settlement with help from the advocacy group Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, said a second priest who allegedly had sexual encounters with Burke when she was 19 also left the priesthood to get married.

A third priest accused of having sexual contact with Burke when she was 18 has died.

The Associated Press is not naming the priests accused of having sexual contact with Burke when she was a young adult.

[Last modified February 12, 2006, 00:25:19]