AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald
Anna Patty
May 29, 2012
“With the accused priest either penniless or deceased, and the church itself not being a legal entity able to be sued in its own right, victims of sexual abused are left with no legal remedy” … Greens MP David Shoebridge. Photo: Nick Moir
VICTIMS of alleged sex abuse at the hands of Catholic priests claim they have been denied adequate compensation because the church has its assets locked up in property trusts.
The NSW Greens released a draft bill yesterday that aims to hold the Catholic Church financially responsible for such abuse.
The Greens MP David Shoebridge said the NSW Court of Appeal held, in a landmark 2007 case, that the church’s assets, controlled by property trusts, could not be accessed by victims of sexual abuse.
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