Two significant developments in the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s.
The Supreme Court has approved a claims process that will guide how much money is distributed to individual victims of abuse.
It will involve assessments of the impact on the roughly 100 claimants thus far, with the most severe cases fetching the higher amounts of compensation.
The money will be drawn from an estimated $50-million pot, much of it raised through the sale of church properties.
Talks continue with the government over pending transactions involving school properties also owned by the church.
A deadline was also set this morning for anyone who has ever been abused by church priests, brothers or staff.
They have until September 30 to come forward with a claim, and full anonymity is guaranteed.
But lawyers are urging victims not to wait until the last minute since significant work must be done to verify and assess each case.