AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald
Royal commission: Cardinal George Pell says child abuse victims should be able to sue Catholic Church
March 10, 2014
Catherine Armitage
Senior Writer
For the first time Cardinal George Pell has acknowledged that the Catholic Church should be able to be sued over abuse by a priest.
The turnaround in the church’s approach to litigation by victims was revealed by senior counsel assisting the royal commission into institutional child sex abuse, Gail Furness, as it heard from witness John Ellis about his treatment by the Diocese of Sydney.
“In his statement to the royal commission, the Cardinal says, ‘Whatever position was taken by the lawyers during the litigation, or by lawyers or individuals within the Archdiocese following the litigation, my own view is that the Church in Australia should be able to be sued in cases of this kind’,” Ms Furness said. Cardinal Pell is due to give evidence in person to the commission early next week.
But Cardinal Pell’s views do not yet open the floodgates for victims to sue, according to legal experts.
A major restructure of the church in Australia to make it a ”suable entity” as well as legislative change in each state would be required to give Cardinal Pell’s words practical effect, Patrick Parkinson, a Sydney University law professor specialising in child sex abuse issues said. ”This is not going to happen overnight,” he said.
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