The Catholic Church has formally announced it will join the National Redress Scheme for survivors of child sexual abuse in a bid to compensate thousands of Australians who were abused as children at hands of the organisation.
It puts an end to months of calls from abuse victims and the general public for the Church to contribute to the scheme and makes the religious group the first non-government institution to sign onto the agreement.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) president Archbishop Mark Coleridge said survivors deserved to be compensated for their pain.
“Since as early as 2013, the Catholic Church has called for a national redress scheme for survivors of child sexual abuse,” he said.
“We support the Royal Commission’s recommendation for a national redress scheme, administered by the Commonwealth, and we are keen to participate in it. Survivors deserve justice and healing and many have bravely come forward to tell their stories.”
So far every Australian state except Western Australia has signed onto the scheme, which is expected to provide redress to about 60,000 people. The scheme was instigated following last year’s Royal Commission into institutional child abuse, which revealed the depth of depravity within the Church and charitable and religious organisations such as the Salvation Army and the Anglican Church.
As well as financial compensation, the redress scheme offers survivors counselling and a direct personal response from the institution.
Almost 2,500 survivors gave evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse about sexual abuse in an institution managed by the Catholic Church, with many regaling horrific tales of assault that lasted for years at the hands of their carers and teachers. According to the Royal Commission’s final report, 61.8 per cent of all survivors of sexual abuse in a religious institution were from a Catholic-managed institution.
Upon announcing their participation in the scheme, Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) president Sr Ruth Durick said: “We recognise that redress will not take away a
survivor’s pain, but hope that it can provide some practical assistance in the journey towards recovery from abuse.
“We are committed to providing redress to survivors who were abused within the Catholic Church.”