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	Blow to Church As Court Says It Must Pay for the Wrongs of Its Abusive Priests National Secular Society November 21, 2010 http://www.secularism.org.uk/125062.html The Diocese of Middlesbrough has been refused the right to appeal against a court ruling that found it responsible for an £8 million compensation claim by victims of child sexual abuse. The Court of Appeal in London rejected the Diocese's application to appeal against what is believed to be the largest award to abuse victims in English history. The diocese was found liable in October for the claims of 158 former pupils who were abused at St William's Community Home, in Market Weighton, near York, between 1960 and 1992. Judges ruled that the De La Salle Christian Brothers, which staffed the home, had no legal responsibility, leaving the Catholic Child Welfare Society of the diocese liable for the compensation claim. Attorney David Greenwood, who is representing the victims, said he hoped the Middlesbrough diocese would work to reach compensation settlements with each abuse survivor. Following the Court of Appeal decision, the only way that the Church can further delay paying is for it to appeal directly to the Supreme Court. "Our lawyers are considering the matter," a Diocesan spokesman said.
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