Catholic Church to review compensation ...

By Padraic Murphy
Herald Sun
August 25, 2014

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/catholic-church-to-review-compensation-for-sexual-abuse-victims-says-archbishop-denis-hart/story-fni0fit3-1227036445863

Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart outside the inquiry.

Catholic Church to review compensation for sexual abuse victims, says Archbishop Denis Hart

A CONTROVERSIAL cap of $75,000 compensation for victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy could be scrapped, Archbishop Denis Hart told the royal commission into sexual abuse.

Archbishop Hart said he had appointed former Federal Court judge Donnell Ryan QC to review compensation levels offered to victims of abuse by clergy in the Melbourne archdiocese.

“(He will provide a report) on whether the cap should be increased or removed,” Archbishop Hart said.

Amid regular gasps from the public gallery, Archbishop Hart defended the church’s handling of sexual abuse cases.

“I think the church seeks all along to act according to justice, charity and compassion,” Archbishop Hart said.

But the Archbishop for Melbourne conceded that until 2001, priests found guilty by a court of sex crimes often kept their positions because the Vatican refused to expel them.

“There was a leaning in favour of a priest who might have been accused of something,” Archbishop Hart said.

“We found a conviction was not enough to have a priest laicised by Rome.”

But he said that since 2001, he had had the power to suspend priests and to recommend their defrocking.

“Every living priest who has been convicted of sexual misconduct has been referred to Rome for laicisation,” he said.

But he began directing suspended priests to cease wearing clerical garb only in 2011.

Earlier, the inquiry heard that since 1996 the church had offered treatment and counselling to 600 victims, 350 of whom were children when abused.

On average, about $12,000 was spent on this for each victim.

Archbishop Hart’s evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was continuing.