BTZ’s lawyer,Judy Courtin,said the archdiocese’s acceptance of its liability was significant for her client and 11 others abused by O’Donnell now suing the church,including a woman assaulted in the 1940s.
“We hope all the work,an extraordinary amount of work that has been done,will be favourable for others,” Dr Courtin said.
The Melbourne archdiocese and its lawyers took until the 11th hour to settle BTZ’s case despite facing evidence two senior church figures knew in 1958 that another boy had made an allegation against O’Donnell. Those leaders failed to remove the priest from his parish and regular contact with children.
Years before BTZ went to the police,he also made a report about O’Donnell that wasn’t acted on. In 1986,he told a nun who lodged a report that ultimately reached the then archbishop of Melbourne,Frank Little.
But the archbishop also failed to stand O’Donnell down and the priest continued preying on children,including Chrissie and Anthony Foster’s daughters,Emma and Katie,in Oakleigh. Emma suicided in 2008.
“They acted on it all right. All they did was tell O’Donnell to write a letter of apology[to me],” BTZ said. “Bastards,absolute bastards.”
Chrissie Foster,who harnessed her family’s heartbreak into fighting for sex abuse victims,said any guilt rested with the church for harbouring serial abusers,and not her friend.
“It’s not his[BTZ’s] guilt but that’s the way they[the church] make you feel. It’s total blame at the feet of the Catholic priesthood,” she said.
“[Money] is the only thing in society that we can take from them ... they need to pay for every single child that they let this happen to.”
“It’s dirty,hardball,adversarial,legalistic battles,” Dr Courtin said.
“Why,why,why with all that evidence[supporting BTZ’s case] would they wait until the day before trial to accept liability? What does that cost?”
Ms Fosterfelt bullied and threatened by then archbishop George Pell when she and her late husband met him to discuss their daughter,Emma. The Fosters refused the Melbourne Response offer of $50,000 and took legal action which,almost a decade later,brought a $750,000 settlement.
The church’s court tactics “tormented victims even further by denying the truth”,Ms Foster said.
These comments come days after similarcriticisms were made against Victoria’s Department of Education and Training over the way it responds to compensation claims made by people abused in schools as children.
The Melbourne archdiocese said it didn’t comment on individual cases.
But a spokeswoman for Archbishop Peter Comensoli said the archdiocese was appalled by historical sexual abuse crimes and had apologised to survivors.
Archbishop Comensoli regularly met with survivors to offer apologies and the church was committed to “a culture that protects the vulnerable,and which listens and seeks to bring healing and justice to those who have been hurt”.
The spokeswoman said the Archbishop understood court proceedings were difficult and could cause traumatisation.
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“So we seek to reduce,wherever possible,that occurring. At the same time,we respect the rights of individuals to take whatever action they feel is best for them,” she said.
The arcdiocese’s lawyers,Corrs Chambers Westgarth,declined to comment.
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