AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald
SAINT Vincent de Paul was a French Catholic priest who died in 1660 after a life dedicated to helping the poor.
He was canonised a saint in 1737 and the modern society that bears his name was begun in France in 1833 by a lawyer and academic, Frédéric Ozanam. Known originally as the Conference of Charity, it expanded around the world during the 19th century, and today serves its mission in more than 130 countries.
Its work for the poor stands unchallenged, but as the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has shown, it has also – like many Catholic organisations – been a home to substantial numbers of paedophiles.
In its February 2017 analysis of child sexual abuse claims made against Catholic institutions, the Royal Commission, the Congregation of the Mission, as the Vincentian society is known, came 15th in a list of Catholic organisations ranked by the amount of compensation paid to victims.
All up, 49 people had made claims against the Vincentians, with 28 of these receiving a financial payment: the total of $3.7 million amounted to an average of $137,000 per person.
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