ABC Melbourne
July 17, 2008
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/17/2306490.htm?site=melbourne
A couple whose daughters were raped by a Catholic priest while they were in primary school has arrived in Sydney to try to meet with the Pope, "disgusted" by comments made by the head of World Youth Day.
Anthony and Christine Foster have travelled 33 hours from London, hoping to urge the pontiff to not just apologise to sex abuse victims but to reform the way the Catholic Church deals with them.
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| 'The old wounds never heal': Anthony and Christine Foster Photo by Emma Renwick |
Two of the Fosters' three daughters were raped by abusive priest Father Kevin O'Donnell at a Melbourne primary school.
One daughter, Emma Foster, committed suicide at the age of 26 in January after suffering from anorexia and drug abuse.
Her younger sister, Katherine Foster, turned to alcohol and now needs 24-hour care after being hit by a car.
The head of World Youth Day, Bishop Anthony Fisher responded to questions about the family yesterday by saying a few people were "dwelling crankily on old wounds".
Speaking after arriving from Britain today, Mr Foster said he was outraged.
"On hearing that the comments were directed to us in particular, I'm disgusted..." he said.
"The 'old wounds' he speaks of never heal and the victims of sexual assault suffer all their life.
"There is no place for his comments and he should be absolutely ashamed of them."
The chief operational officer of World Youth Day, Danny Casey, says Bishop Fisher's comments do not represent his true attitude.
"If Bishop Anthony made particular comments about how some in the media seek to portray the church during abuse matters, he's a man of deep compassion," he said.
"I know he feels great compassion and sympathy for the victims and for all those who have been hurt through abuse."
Compensation crusade
Mr Foster says only Pope Benedict can change attitudes to sexual abuse in the Church. He says he met Sydney's Archbishop, Cardinal George Pell, years ago and was shocked by the lack of compassion he showed.
The Fosters are pushing for the Melbourne archdiocese to appoint an independent panel to review compensation payments it has made under its system since 2001.
They want the church to increase compensation payments from the capped level of $50,000 to an amount equal to successful civil claims.
Cardinal Pell apologised to the Foster sisters as Archbishop of Melbourne in 1998 and encouraged the family to enter the Towards Healing Program and seek a capped compensation payments.
The family rejected the offer, instead opting to pursue the Catholic Church through the courts for eight years. They eventually negotiated a settlement, believed to be the largest compensation pay-out of its kind in Australia.
Despite an earlier admission and an apology from Cardinal Pell, the church's lawyers later denied any admissions had been made about the abuse of the two girls.
'The church contributed to Emma's death'
Mr Foster has also criticised Cardinal Pell for saying yesterday he was unsure what else he could do for the victims of sexual abuse.
"He should not have cruelly limited compensation," he said.
"He should not have crushed victims who did not have the ability to pursue justice.
"Cardinal Pell wonders why there are so many youth suicides. Well, he should look to the actions of the Catholic Church. As in many cases, the cause is sexual assault."
He says his daughters' rapist was protected and supported by a system that he says moved offending priests from parish to parish.
"The hierarchy of the church contributed to Emma's death through their actions and inactions," he said.
"I hold them personally accountable for her death, which they could have prevented."
Father Kevin O'Donnell was never tried on the Foster case but was convicted for other child sex crimes in 1995 and sent to jail. He died in 1997.
Apology in doubt
Meanwhile, Pope Benedict's spokesman has raised doubts over whether the pontiff will offer a full and unreserved apology for sexual abuse by clergymen during his visit to Sydney.
The contradictory signal came just three days after the pontiff himself, during his flight to Sydney, said he would apologise.
The director of the Vatican press office, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, says the Pope has not given a commitment he will apologise to abuse victims and may simply refer to the issue in a "statement".
"I draw your attention to the term 'apology' that journalists are using," Father Lombardi said in Italian during a press conference.
"The Pope in the plane [to Australia] spoke of the problems of sexual abuse but I don't think he said he would apologise and I advise you to listen to what the Pope says when he raises the issue."
Father Lombardi later warned against pre-empting what the Pope might say, while speaking on ABC Radio's AM program.
"The question is maybe also about the word 'apology' because maybe you expect some particular meaning," he said.
"The Pope has explained very well already on the plane what he thinks about the problem. He has already said many things very clearly in the USA about this problem."
'Prevent, heal and reconcile'
But the pontiff was clear on Sunday when he told journalists in English that he would examine how the church can "prevent, heal and reconcile" the past crimes of the clergy.
"This is the essential content of what we will say as we apologise," he said.
Father Lombardi, who speaks limited English, says the Pope will probably speak about sex abuse in the church during a meeting with bishops and Australian novices on Saturday.
It was in the same forum that the head of the Catholic Church apologised for the scourge during a visit to the United States earlier this year.
The Pope's spokesman also says the pontiff is aware of the media coverage sexual abuse issues have been getting in Australia but will not directly intervene.
"Obviously he is informed but he respects very much the competence of the church in different lands," he said.
He says the Pope fully supports the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell.
"Naturally, the Pope always support the bishops in the entire world because they are the collaborators and the guiders of the church.
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