AUSTRALIA
Geelong Advertiser
BY ANNETTE BLACKWELL AAP DECEMBER 10, 2013
ALTHOUGH the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane had income from an $154 million development fund, it was trying to avoid a payout to a woman still suffering from being abused as a child by a priest.
The revelation came on the second day of a royal commission hearing into how the church dealt with Joan Isaacs, abused by Father Frank Derriman at a Brisbane convent school in 1967 and 1968,
The former archdiocesan chancellor, the Very Rev Dr James Spence, who acted as a “conduit” between the archdiocese, lawyers and the church insurers during negotiations with the victim in the late 90s and early 2000s said he understood the fund was worth about $154 million in 2001.
Dr Spence, now retired, said he was not aware then if any money was specifically available for abuse matters other than from insurance.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.