A Roman Catholic diocese may need more time to pay the rest of the money owed to sexual abuse victims, a bishop said Tuesday.

The Diocese of St. George's says it has paid almost $8 million of a $14-million compensation agreement, with 40 victims of sexual abuse.

'Whether it's this year or not is questionable,' Bishop Douglas Crosby says about whether the Diocese of St. George's can meet its payment schedule.
(CBC)

However, the diocese missed payments last year to the victims of Rev. Kevin Bennett, who molested them between the 1960s and 1980s.

Although their lawyer, Greg Stack, has said he doubts whether much — if any — of the rest of the settlement will be paid, Bishop Douglas Crosby said the diocese is doing everything it can to avoid reneging on compensation payments.

"We're hopeful to see a conclusion to the whole process," Crosby told CBC News on Tuesday.

"Whether it's this year or not is questionable."

The terms of the settlement agreement give the diocese until the end of this year to complete its payments.

"Many of the properties, I might even say most of the properties, have been sold. There are some that we are working on," said Crosby, referring to how the diocese began selling properties — including churches, bought back by faithful — in 2005 to raise money to pay the Bennett claimants.

Crosby said the diocese and its insurer have not been able to reach a settlement, although he said, "We have an insurance claim that we are hopeful about."

Crosby, though, said it's likely that case will still end up in court.

The diocese has paid almost $2 million in professional fees over the Bennett case.

Bennett, who was convicted of sexual assault in 1990, served four years in prison.