Two men suing the Fall River Diocese of the Catholic Church over alleged sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of a deceased priest have ended mediation proceedings with Church representatives, stating that the settlement offer made by the Church was too low.

The lawsuit was filed naming the late Rev. Monsignor Maurice Souza and former Bishop Daniel Cronin and claiming unspecified damages.  The two men allege that when they were serving as altar boys at the ages of 9 and 10, Souza was assigned to the Church and began abusing them sexually, abuse that lasted over the next decade.  They further assert that Cronin did not supervise Souza properly or take any action when the abuse was brought to his attention.

Souza passed away in 1996 at the age of 83.  The Church originally offered the alleged victims counseling and investigated the matter, concluding there was no evidence to support many of their claims of abuse.  This dismissal of their accusations led the two men to file a lawsuit, and they later agreed to attempt mediation with a Church representative.  This mediation attempt failed, and each side blames the other for being unreasonable.  The Church claims the two men summarily ended mediation for no reason, while the men claim the Church offered an insultingly low settlement offer and indicated it would not negotiate further.  The matter will now proceed in the courts, a public outcome the Church was very likely hoping to avoid through private mediation.