Last Updated Dec 26th, 2019 at 3:48 pm

Seven of Pennsylvania's eight Catholic dioceses have paid a total of $84 million to victims of sexual abuse within the state, a sum that has been distributed among a total of 564 victims

The payout comes after a bombshell grand jury report that exposed a pervasive and sadistic culture of child sexual exploitation among more than 300 clergy. More than 1,000 children were identified as victims as part of the investigation.

There are reportedly many more alleged cases to be reviewed by diocesan officials. The average compensation has been around $148,000. The sexual abuse claims, which had been systematically covered up by local church administrators, stretch back to the 1940s.