Cardinal George Pell’s sex abuse peace offer...

NEWS.com.au
March 26, 2014

http://www.news.com.au/national/cardinal-george-pells-sex-abuse-peace-offer-the-catholic-church-should-pay-for-bad-priests/story-fncynjr2-1226865801180

Cardinal George Pell leaves the royal commission

Cardinal George Pell.

VICTIMS of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church should be able to sue priests, or their estates if they have died, and the church should pick up the bill, Cardinal George Pell said yesterday in a major shift of attitude.

He told the royal commission he would like some legal clarification on whether that could operate retrospectively, in a move that would finally open up the church’s billions for court-ordered verdicts.

He also pledged to put up as much of the church’s wealth as was needed to fund any government-sponsored compensation scheme that may be set up in the wake of the commission, even if individual sums of $2 million were handed out.

It has been revealed in the commission this week that the Sydney Archdiocese alone controls funds of more than $1.238 billion.

The country’s highest-ranking Catholic, Cardinal Pell has consistently said he believed the church could be held legally liable by the courts for sex abuse claims — despite winning a landmark 2004 case in Sydney that ruled the church was not a legal entity and therefore could not sued.

He admitted yesterday that, when fighting the 2004 case brought by former altar boy John Ellis, he had instructed the church’s lawyers to “vigorously” fight the claim so any other abuse victims would think twice before taking on the church.

Since then, victims who have tried to take the church to court have found the problem is how to hold it legally liable and get any money, when its wealth and assets are held by trustees.

The trustees do not employ the priests, who usually have none or few assets. The church prefers to settle claims out of court.

Cardinal Pell said yesterday that, if a victim of sex abuse successfully sued a priest or their estate, the church had a moral duty to pick up the bill.

“Are you saying that in every case where an action succeeds, where (a victim) has succeeded against the deceased (priest’s estate), the resources of the church should be available to meet any judgment,” commission chair Justice Peter McClellan asked the cardinal.

Cardinal Pell said: “Yes.”

On his second day in the witness box he expanded on comments that priests should hold insurance against claims of sex abuse.

Cardinal Pell is expected to return to the witness box this afternoon before leaving for Rome next week. He has been appointed head of Vatican finances.