A $25 million settlement between the Crosier religious order and victims of clergy sexual abuse was approved by a bankruptcy judge yesterday, becoming the first such settlement adopted in Minnesota, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. An objection filed last week by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was withdrawn after the parties added language protecting the archdiocese from possible future lawsuits involving Crosier clergy. The Crosiers, the abuse victims and their attorneys attributed the swift settlement to a spirit of cooperation and respect that shaped settlement discussions. Sixty-seven abuse victims filed claims in bankruptcy court against the Phoenix-based religious order, which has a community in the Minnesota town of Onamia. Most of the sex abuse occurred between the 1960s and 1980s. It involved teenage boys at the Crosiers' boarding school and young altar boys who served at the Holy Cross Church next door.
