AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By the National Reporting Team’s Lorna Knowles
The Catholic Church has released new guidelines to deal with claims of child sexual abuse, which it says will promote a more compassionate approach towards victims.
But child abuse survivors and their lawyers say the guidelines are disingenuous because they do not expressly reject the controversial Ellis defence — a court ruling that the church is not a legal entity which can be sued.
Releasing the guidelines today, head of the Catholic Church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council, Francis Sullivan, said the church wanted to treat survivors and victims fairly, compassionately and in a timely manner.
“It’s about demonstrating how they will put the interests of the survivor first, provide information quickly, go through it openly and honestly, provide a proper defendant, if that survivor wishes to bring forward a suit of damages,” Mr Sullivan said.
But barrister and spokesman for the Australian Lawyers Alliance, Andrew Morrison SC, told the ABC the guidelines were a backward step for victims.
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