Smiling Bishop Keith Slater Failed Victims of Sex Abuse in Their Hour of Need
News.com.au
SMILING Bishop Keith Slater grins so much he had to apologise for doing it before giving evidence at the harrowing royal commission into child sex abuse yesterday. "I apologise in advance if I may seem to smile at a time which is not appropriate," he explained. It was just his "personality". But there was nothing to smile about as the commission heard a litany of Bishop Slater's failures to help more than 40 victims of physical and sexual child abuse at the former North Coast Children's Home in Lismore, adequately compensate them or report their abusers in the clergy to authorities. Outside the commission he even smiled as he met the first of the child abuse victims to come forward - a man he refused for so long to apologise to or compensate - and blessed him. "I just ripped into him," said a disgusted Richard "Tommy" Campion afterwards. "If he had told the truth we wouldn't be here today." The leader of the Anglican Church in Australia, Brisbane Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, ordered Bishop Slater to resign in May this year after The Daily Telegraph approached him with evidence of the church's treatment of victims. The royal commission is examining that response by the Anglican Diocese of Grafton, led by Bishop Slater, to the claims of horrific physical and sexual child abuse at the Lismore home by at least 12 priests and members of staff over 48 years. Archbishop Aspinall himself repeatedly raised concerns that the diocese was "playing hardball" with the victims. But Bishop Slater was worried about the money. "On reflection," Bishop Slater agreed in the witness box, that withdrawing the church's compensation offer to victims at one stage to help broker a better settlement was at odds with any kind of moral approach. Commission chair, Justice Peter McClennan, said: "When you say 'the settlement being brokered' I take it what you mean is achieving the best outcome for the church?" "I guess that would be a way of putting it, yes," said Bishop Slater. No smile. He said the Diocese was concerned about money because of a $10 million debt. However, the commission has heard the trustees of the diocese had assets worth more than $200 million. Justice McClellan said: "There were a lot of assets and not much cash, putting it bluntly." The majority of the victims eventually received a payout of $825,000 which came to less than $10,000 each after costs. They also received an "inflammatory" apology signed by Bishop Slater denying the home was the church's responsibility. Yesterday the commission heard that the church was now reviewing the payments to the 41 victims and would consider applying its new pastoral and assistance scheme to them in terms of compensation retrospectively. Bishop Slater said he had "fallen very short" in his duty. "I am totally humiliated in myself in this regard and I want to express my deepest and profound apologies," he said. The Daily Telegraph's story yesterday on Pat Comben's decision to resign from the church moments before giving evidence was also tendered in evidence at the commission. Mr Comben's allegations that he would have been sacked if he didn't take a hard line with victims were denied by The Venerable Gregory Ezzy, Administrator for the Diocese of Grafton. Archbishop Aspinall will take the stand today.
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