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	Adelaide Victim Says Pope's Apology 'Meaningless' Adelaide Now July 20, 2008 http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24047543-5006301,00.html THE Pope's apology will be "meaningless" to those whose lives and faith have been destroyed by their abuser, according to an Adelaide victim. "Michael", who was indecently assaulted by a Catholic priest while a student at Salesian College at Brooklyn Park in the 1960s, said such an apology "was just words". "I just think rhetoric is worth nothing," he said. "What it says to people like me is that it's okay to go and do what you want, as long as you say you are sorry. It is a start, it's a recognition." Michael, 57, who gave evidence to the Mullighan inquiry about his experiences at Salesian College, said his dealings with church officials had left him feeling bitter and questioning its motives and purpose. "They have protected pedophiles for years and years," he said. "They've known about it and just shunted them around. Now it is out in the open they are running at 100 miles and hour and fighting litigation tooth and nail. Where is the accountability?" he said. Michael said he spent three years fighting for compensation. He initially sought several hundred thousand dollars, but eventually settled for $30,000. "At the end, I just couldn't do it any more. It was too draining," he said. "They fought all the way, they didn't want to give you anything. They are the oldest and richest corporation in the world. They are protecting their money. That's what they are doing." Lawyers acting for Catholic abuse victims in South Australia yesterday welcomed the apology, but Duncan Basheer Hannon lawyer Peter Humphries (pictured) said he anticipated the apology would meet with a "mixed reception" from them. "Different people will have different responses to this," he said. "Some people attach a great deal of significance to it, others are well past it. It's all very nice, but it's not terribly meaningful to them. It comes late in the day and that is part of the problem, because some have been arguing for years to get some sort of an apology. "But at the same time, others will have a different view entirely and they will be very appreciative of it." Mr Humphries, who acts for a handful of Catholic abuse victims, said he hoped the local church representatives would also accept the apology and "more particularly acknowledge there needs to be some tangible action, rather than just words". "If there is not, it will all be just words." He said that in the small number of abuse cases involving church employees in SA, there had been no "formal" apology included as part of any settlement.
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