Sex abuse victims paid $17 million by Catholic Church, royal commission hears

AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

SHANNON DEERY HERALD SUN AUGUST 18, 2014

MELBOURNE’S Catholic Church has paid victims of clerical sexual abuse more than $17 million since introducing an interntal compensation panel, the child abuse royal commission has heard.

Sitting in Melbourne for the first time the commission heard this morning ex-gratia payments made under the church’s Melbourne Response scheme totalled $17,259,472.

Of that almost $10 million was paid as compensation while $7.5 million was paid to cover victims’s medical and counselling costs.

A further $1.6 million was paid to victims outside of the Melbourne Response.

The internal complaints system is being scrutinised in the royal commission’s latest public hearing.

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