Australia, a Diocese Pays out 13.5 Million Euros in Compensation for Sexual Abuse

Vatican Insider
August 17, 2012

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/world-news/detail/articolo/australia-17518/

Australia, July 2008. Catholic Clergy at the GMG.

A Catholic diocese in Australia is negotiating compensations that add up to 13.5 million euros and are to be paid out to more than 100 victims of acts of paedophilia that took place between 1960 and 1990. According to today's issue of The Australian the diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, north of Sydney, negotiated out of court settlements with at least 78 of the alleged victims. Another 25 cases have been nearly settled. However it seems that the total number of victims might be even higher.

The compensations are linked to acts of sexual abuse at the hands of at least 10 priests and teachers employed by the Church and include the highest compensation ever negotiated in Australia, up to approximately 1.7 million euros. In the terms of the settlement, that have been negotiated through law firm, the Church does not admit responsibility for the acts of abuse, even though many of the victims see the compensation as a form of recognition for what they suffered. " The Church usually requests a waiver form that prevents the victim from making further claims for the same acts of abuse and a clause that forbids arguing over the terms of the agreement", said one of the negotiating lawyers.

This practice by the Australian Catholic Church, named 'Towards Healing', began in 1996 to respond to the abuse claims and it has been criticized by the victims' representatives for the lack of independent evaluation of the claims.