The Herald Sun
July 24, 201112:00AM
Hamish Heard
A PRIEST in charge of one of Victoria’s biggest parishes has broken ranks with the Catholic hierarchy to demand an overhaul of the way it deals with victims of clergy sex abuse.
He said the process set up by former Archbishop George Pell in 1996 to investigate sexual abuse complaints and compensate victims should be replaced with a “transparent and independent” process outside the control of the Melbourne Archdiocese.
The priest at Geelong’s St Mary’s of the Angels Basilica, Fr Dillon said many of the 300-plus victims processed felt it was geared more towards preserving the church’s reputation and finances than providing justice.
“I am in regular contact with 20-plus victims from across the archdiocese and certainly the ones I speak to have many and varied criticisms about the process and its outcomes,” he said.
The approach – in which complaints were investigated by church-appointed “independent commissioner” Peter O’Callaghan QC – left many victims feeling “belittled”.
“We need to ask (victims processed under the Melbourne Response): have they found it intimidating? Have they found it comforting? Have they found it belittling?” Fr Dillon said.
He said the compensation cap lacked generosity and compassion for those whose lives had been permanently scarred by sex abuse.
The response also disadvantaged victims by putting them into an “adversarial” situation where they were pitted against top-level lawyers without any legal representation of their own.
“From day one, they should be provided with an experienced advocate, who accompanies them compassionately through the system,” Fr Dillon said.
His calls have won the support of victims who claim the church’s response lacked compassion and failed to recognise lifelong pain inflicted on them.
The Archdiocese did not return the Sunday Herald Sun‘s calls.
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