AUSTRALIA
Digital Journal
By Megan Hamilton
Ballarat – After conferring with the archbishops of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, Francis Sullivan, head of the Catholic Church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council, reiterated their pledge to keep the Ellis defense in the past and not the present or future.
Sullivan’s comments arrive just as the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (RCIRCSA) began hearings on Monday regarding cases of abuse in Ballarat, CathNews reports.
What is the Ellis defense?
John Ellis was an altar boy who suffered sexual abuse during the 1970s, and when he tried to sue the church over the abuse, the courts rejected the claim, ruling that the Church wasn’t a legal entity, and it wasn’t liable for abuse committed by a priest, A.M. reports.
This was labeled the “Ellis defense” and the Catholic Church has used this tactic for years to avoid making payments to those who are survivors of sexual abuse, A.M. reports.
There’s been conflicting reports about what the Church was planning to do, and earlier on Monday, The Age reported that the Church was planning to use this controversial defense.
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