AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By Emma Younger
The Catholic Church in Ballarat is being accused of breaking its own guidelines in its legal fight against a compensation claim from a victim of notorious paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale.
The church released new guidelines for dealing with civil claims for child sexual abuse in November 2015, which it said would promote a more compassionate approach towards victims.
They state a claimant would not be required to prove the elements of an abuse case that the church authority had already accepted to be true.
But lawyer Paula Shelton said the Ballarat Diocese was challenging parts of her client’s claim that were accepted by a court when Ridsdale was convicted of the abuse.
“What is very irritating and irking to our clients is that we have these bishops who show up … at the royal commission and say they’re going to treat these plaintiffs compassionately and this is what we get,” lawyer Paula Shelton said.
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