Royal Commission into Church Abuse Hears Redress Scheme Could Have Been Handled Better

By Thomas Oriti
ABC News
December 13, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-13/royal-commission-into-church-abuse-hears-redress-scheme-could-h/5155010

The director of a pastoral and redress scheme for victims of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church has conceded she lacked influence when dealing with the case of a woman who was abused by a priest for four years.

When she was 17 and in her final year of school, Jennifer Ingham was suffering from bulimia.

It was 1978. She was admitted to hospital, underwent psychological treatment and missed her exams.

Mrs Ingham also required surgery to her face for the condition, and asked to pause in her testimony at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse because she was in severe pain.

At the time, Father Paul Rex Brown from the Diocese of Lismore in northern NSW invited her to a motel where she was sexually abused for the first time.

The abuse continued until 1982.

Jennifer Ingham says she told her story to Father Francis Mulcahy in 1990.

The hearing was told Father Mulcahy cried and told her that he knew of two other girls who were also being abused by Father Brown.

Nothing was done.

"Why couldn't we have just one good fearless man step out against these depravities and wrongs that existed?" she said.

Mrs Ingham wanted to meet with Father Mulcahy in her Towards Healing session to ask him why he did not act, but he was never required.

"One of the key areas of influence for Mrs Ingham was the presence of Father Mulcahy," Counsel Assisting the Commission, Gail Furness, told the hearing.

As Director of the Professional Standards Office in Queensland, Mary Bernadette Rogers was responsible for organising the session.

She says it could have been handled better.

"At that early stage in my role, I think I lacked the influence."

The hearing was told it was Mrs Rogers' role to prepare the victim, so they knew who the people would be in the room and what their roles were.

She was asked if she performed the role effectively.

"With hindsight, and with the benefit of Mrs Ingham's statement, no, I did not do that well," Ms Rogers said.

Jennifer Ingham has expressed concern that her case was being treated as an "insurance matter" in the Towards Healing process.

The hearing was today told that a Special Issues Case Manager with Catholic Church Insurance Limited, Emma Fenby, was involved in appointing a facilitator to the Ingham case.

Mary Bernadette Rogers says that was unusual. "In my time as Director, this is the only case where that has occurred," she said.

Denying liability

Emma Fenby held the role of Special Issues Case Manager with Catholic Church Insurance Limited until July 2013.

Ms Fenby has told the Commission she was interested in determining the "date of knowledge" when the Bishop of Lismore became aware of Father Paul Rex Brown's offending.

She told the hearing the policy "would not respond to the claim" if the Bishop had knowledge of the abuse between 1978 and 1982, when it was taking place.

"Because it was not something unexpected or unintended from the stand point of the insured," she said.

"They already knew."

Under the policy, the Bishop is the "insured".

Emma Fenby said the Bishop had no knowledge at the time.

Jennifer Ingham was paid $265 000 plus nearly $12 000 to cover her legal costs.

Mrs Rogers also explained the fluid nature of Towards Healing.

"I think the thing about Towards Healing is that it doesn't have rules," she said.

"Each person needs to be dealt with in their own way."

She told the hearing it was a challenging "balancing act" to appoint staff who were experienced in the field of pastoral care, and well as having skills as "facilitators".

An unexpected testimony from Father Mulcahy followed attempts by his legal counsel to ascertain more details about the 1990 meeting from Jennifer Ingham.

She was reduced to tears during the cross-examination.

Father Mulcahy claims he had never heard of Mrs Ingham or met with her.

Jennifer Ingham has recalled telling her story to another parish priest in 1993, and then to another in 2006.

The latter told her to "stop blaming the Church" and to "go away".

Mary Bernadatte Rogers has revealed she is leaving the position after less than a year, in January 2014.

The hearing continues, as the Royal Commission completes its 1000th private session.