Priest abuse and abortion woman gets $2m payout; Fr John Lenihan

  The Church's settlement with Lori Haigh on Monday [April 1 2002] was the second high-profile payout the two dioceses have made in eight months to an alleged victim of abuse by a priest.
  It was the latest in a mounting string of cases throughout the nation that have focused attention on the Church's tolerance of abusive clergy.
  Ms Haigh, of San Francisco, filed a criminal complaint against Father John Lenihan with the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
  She also claimed that two other priests -- now high-ranking officials with the Orange diocese -- ignored her pleas for help 20 years ago. She said she was abused from the age of 14 to 17.
  Bishop Tod Brown, of Orange, said: "I am deeply sorry for the hurt caused by the actions of Father Lenihan and extend my apology to Ms Haigh and all victims of sexual clergy abuse." According to Church officials, the two other priests deny ever meeting Ms Haigh. One of them, Monsignor Lawrence Baird threatened to file a defamation lawsuit against Ms Haigh.
  Ms Haigh said she got to know Father Lenihan because she played the guitar in a youth group that performed at Sunday evening Mass at St Norbert Church in Orange, where he was a priest.
  Ms Haigh said that because she was involved in Church activities five days a week, the abuse occurred frequently. Mr Lenihan would give her lifts to and from different youth-group activities and would pull off at secluded places along the road to sexually abuse her.
  "My parents felt I was safe with the Church group," she said. "That it was OK to be brought home by your priest at 2am."
  Ms Haigh said her parents did not know about the sexual abuse until years later.
  When she became pregnant at 16, she said Father Lenihan told her she had to get an abortion. She had tried to commit suicide, cutting her wrists with a butcher's knife.
  In a separate case, Father Lenihan admitted sexually abusing a minor and having many affairs with women.
  He was ousted in September as pastor of St Edward Church in Dana Point and last week agreed to be removed from the priesthood. -- LOS ANGELES TIMES