Australia's Catholic Church Apologizes for SEX Abuse
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Catholic Church apologized on Saturday for past sexual abuse by members of the clergy while again fending off claims it had tried to buy the silence of victims.
The archbishops of Melbourne and Sydney, Australia's two biggest Catholic dioceses, took out advertisements in newspapers around the country to express the church's regret and to apologize for the length of time it took to deal with the issue.
"We again acknowledge with deep sadness and regret the evil of sexual abuse and other betrayals of trust which have been committed by a small minority of Catholic clergy," Sydney Archbishop George Pell and Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart said.
"On behalf of the Catholic Church in Melbourne and Sydney, and personally, we apologize, sincerely and unreservedly, to all victims of abuse, and to the Australian community, for the wrongs and hurt suffered," they said. Pell had said earlier in the week he did not know if abuse by clergy in Australia was as bad as the scandals which have rocked the church in the United States, but that there was an evil in Australia which must be confronted.
The church also confirmed on Monday it had paid A$3.0 million (US$1.7 million) in compensation to sex abuse victims in Victoria state alone since 1996.
Pell said up to 90 priests and brothers had been convicted of sexual abuse in the past six years across Australia. The total amount of compensation paid to victims around the country is not known because different systems operate in each state.
Pell set up a compensation scheme in Melbourne in 1996. Since then it had dealt with 126 cases, out of which 101 victims had accepted compensation.
The Melbourne diocese has paid A$3.0 million in compensation, with victims able to receive payments of up to A$55,000 each, and between A$1.5-2.0 million for counselling of sex abuse victims since 1996. A similar compensation system is in place in Sydney.
"Compensation payments are not an attempt to buy silence," Pell and Hart said in their letter.
"Victims are not prevented from discussing the abuse they have suffered with anyone at any stage, but many prefer that their privacy be respected. Victims are not silenced as a condition for receiving counselling or compensation," they said.
They said victims who accept compensation must sign releases which end further legal proceedings and that discussions and documents in the compensation process must remain confidential.
The archbishops urged anyone with complaints to contact the church but acknowledged complaints of alleged criminal conduct could also be taken to the police.
Australia's Governor-General Peter Hollingworth denied claims in February he had mishandled sexual abuse claims in the Anglican church in the 1990s when he was Anglican archbishop of Brisbane.
http://www.reuters.com/news_article....toryID=1064651
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