AUSTRALIA
The Age
November 16, 2013
Barney Zwartz
Religion editor, The Age.
The sex abuse inquiry chairwoman expects the Catholic Church in Victoria to consider increasing payments it has already made to victims as a litmus test of its good faith.
Breaking her self-imposed silence after the Victorian parliamentary committee tabled its report on Wednesday, Georgie Crozier said the suggestion had come from the church itself during testimony to the inquiry.
“The report quotes Francis Sullivan, chief of the Catholic Truth, Justice and Healing Council, who says often, ‘judge us by our actions now’,” Ms Crozier said.
Sydney’s Archbishop Cardinal George Pell “made reference to the miserable payments, and they said they are willing to go back and do that’,” she said. The 750-page report, which made 15 recommendations – including several aimed at making the Catholic Church legally accountable – strongly criticised the church.
In a sharp exchange with committee member Andrea Coote when he gave evidence in May, Cardinal Pell said if there were a good case he would revisit the amount of money paid in compensation, but he could speak only for Sydney.
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