Senior figures in the Catholic Church have accused Cardinal George
Pell of hijacking the national compensation scheme for clergy sex abuse
victims by swooping in at the last minute to announce his own
initiative.
Cardinal Pell, one of the most powerful men in the Vatican, launched the Melbourne Response in 1996 when he was Archbishop of Melbourne. The controversial scheme was set up as an alternative to civil litigation, with victims of paedophile priests given access to counselling and compensation. Cardinal Pell has long said he was the first bishop to develop a program responding to the scourge of child sex abuse in the church.
http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/4660021/cardinal-pell-hijacked-abuse-compensation-scheme/?cs=7
Cardinal Pell, one of the most powerful men in the Vatican, launched the Melbourne Response in 1996 when he was Archbishop of Melbourne. The controversial scheme was set up as an alternative to civil litigation, with victims of paedophile priests given access to counselling and compensation. Cardinal Pell has long said he was the first bishop to develop a program responding to the scourge of child sex abuse in the church.
http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/4660021/cardinal-pell-hijacked-abuse-compensation-scheme/?cs=7
