A lawyer for church abuse victims says the approval of a settlement with the province is significant but not the be-all and end-all for his clients.

The Supreme Court sanctioned a deal this week that will see another $46 million flow to victims of abuse suffered at the hands of the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John’s.

The crimes were perpetrated by priests, brothers and lay workers at church and government run institutions, including Mount Cashel Orphanage, spanning decades from the mid- to late 1990s.

About 300 claimants, or their estates and families, are eligible for various amounts depending on the circumstances and time periods of their abuse.

Lawyer Bob Buckingham, who led the fight for compensation with colleague Geoff Budden, says while the money may ease financial pressures, it can’t undo the damage done and lives lost and ruined.

“They don’t have closure, they never will have closure. Most of them have lived a life that you and I can’t imagine,” he said. “The money will help pay some bills, maybe a vacation, provide money for their family, but it doesn’t deal with that gut-wrenching, internal anguish that they live with on a day-to-day basis.”

The settlement with the province still leaves the coffers several million dollars short of compensating all victims.

An appeal to force the church’s insurance companies to pay up is also expected to go before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Victims can also opt out of the settlement and pursue their own actions against the church and government.

A clearer picture of those intentions is expected within a month.