AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald
Paul Bibby
Court Reporter
The former Anglican bishop who oversaw the church’s allegedly “harsh” response to victims of child sexual abuse at a north coast children’s home has publicly apologised for his actions, declaring, “I’m totally humiliated.”
Keith Slater, the Bishop of Grafton from 2003 until his resignation in May this year, delivered the apology while giving evidence before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse.
The commission has heard harrowing evidence from victims of abuse at the North Coast Children’s Home, who recalled being assaulted on a regular basis by members of the clergy, other employees and residents between 1944 and 1985.
When the victims, led by Richard “Tommy” Campion, finally took the church to court in 2007, the Grafton Diocese took a “harsh”, “commercial” approach to negotiations, eventually forcing them into a settlement that left each victim with just $10,000.
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