They were sexually abused by the clergy and then found themselves targeted by the Church's lawyers. Why did it happen and who was responsible for the strategy?
This week on Four Corners, reporter Quentin McDermott reveals the systematic way the Catholic Church sought to conceal the sexual abuse of children, using lawyers to minimise the potential financial impact to the organisation.
Talking to the abused, their families and employees of the Church, and by examining the detail of Royal Commission testimony, McDermott pieces together a strategy that even those inside the Church now concede was misplaced and utterly unethical.
"It's a major, major crisis. It's not only a crisis of scandal and crime; it's also a crisis of faith and credibility."
The program begins by looking at two cases where the Church clearly accepted that all the available evidence suggested abuse had happened, even offering a small settlement. When this was rejected, the lawyers acting on behalf of the Church argued the abuse had never happened.
"Firstly they disputed that the abuse had occurred and then they denied that our daughters had suffered from that abuse."
The investigation examines the tactics employed by the Church in negotiating with victims in private, often with no legal representation, during compensation negotiations.
In case after case it becomes clear that the key objective has been to minimise financial costs. In each of the cases examined, the victims firmly believe the legal strategies employed constituted a second round of abuse. As one Catholic priest told Four Corners, it's an approach that could not be justified in any way:
"It's been a misguided attempt to preserve the Church's assets... the real assets of the Church are its people."
'IN THE NAME OF THE LAW', reported by Quentin McDermott and presented by Kerry O'Brien, goes to air on Monday 11th August at 8.30pm on ABC. It is replayed on Tuesday 12th August at 11.00am and 11.35pm. It can also be seen on ABC News 24 on Saturday at 8.00pm, ABC iview or abc.net.au/4corners.
If anyone wants to see more of some terrible stuff we already know of it's a very good program. Cardinal Pell comes over cold.
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Catholic Church recommends new redress scheme for child sex abuse victims
Date August 12, 2014 - 5:51PM
Rachel Browne Social Affairs Reporter
"It sounds encouraging but talk is cheap": Care Leavers Australia Network's Leonie Sheedy. Photo: Penny Stephens
Advocates for survivors of child sex abuse have cautiously welcomed the Catholic Church's proposed compensation scheme for victims of institutional abuse.
The Catholic Church's Truth, Justice and Healing Council has called for a national redress scheme to be administered by the federal government but funded by the institutions responsible for the harm, in a recommendation to the royal commission into child sex abuse.
Its submission, lodged on Tuesday, also recommends that victims who have already received compensation be able to access the new scheme for an independent review of past settlements.
Care Leavers Australia Network executive officer Leonie Sheedy said many survivors had just received "breadcrumbs" to compensate them for the abuse they suffered, saying a fair redress scheme was well overdue.
"It sounds encouraging but talk is cheap; it's what's in the fine print that matters," she said.
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests spokeswoman Nicky Davis agreed the scheme "hit all the right points but actions speak louder than words".
"Our experience has been that they make big promises but, when it comes down to it, what they deliver is nothing like the PR message," she said. "That has been the case over many decades in many countries."
Under the scheme proposed by the church, there will be no time limit for making a claim and redress should take into account medical and counselling expenses as well as past and future lost earnings.
The scheme also recommends redress should be capped and the limit determined "in line with community standards".
Claimants should be allowed to access low-cost legal advice and those who are unsuccessful should have the option of instigating civil proceedings.
The Catholic Church's handling of sex abuse cases has been played out during the royal commission, with the so-called "Ellis defence" – that the church cannot be liable for the actions of priests who abuse children – coming under scrutiny.
Francis Sullivan, chief executive of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, appointed by the Catholic Church to oversee its response to the royal commission, said the scheme would offer fair and compassionate compensation for victims.
"The days of the Catholic Church investigating itself are over," he said. "For the sake of the survivors of clerical sexual abuse within the church and all other institutions, the development of an independent national victims' redress scheme is a giant step forward in delivering justice for people suffering the devastating impacts of child sexual abuse."
The royal commission, which is examining redress schemes for victims as part of its inquiry, will hold its next public hearing in Melbourne on Monday.
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