Victim-survivors tear up agreement with Catholic church over abuse memorials

An organization representing survivor-victims of clergy abuse has declared agreements with the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat null and void, accusing the church of hypocrisy and a lack of good faith. Loud Fence and the Ballarat and District Survivors Memorial Committee had been working with the diocese on plans for two permanent memorials at St. Patrick's Cathedral and St. Alipius Old Boys School.

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We've sat down and negotiated and told them with good faith, transparency, and honesty to come to a resolution on how we build permanent memorials on these sites. But they [have] in turn treated us with no transparency, no good faith, and have been fighting survivors and the system through the courts, spending millions of dollars to try and defend the indefensible.

Gary Sculley, a victim-survivor, stated that negotiations were conducted with good faith and transparency, but the diocese allegedly responded with a lack of transparency and engaged in costly legal battles to defend itself. This sentiment was amplified following a 2024 High Court ruling that denied vicarious liability for the diocese concerning abuse by a priest. However, legislation in Victoria and the ACT has since reversed this decision, allowing institutions to be held responsible for the actions of individuals defined as "akin" to employees, enabling historical claims.

Despite these legislative changes, Sculley reported that victim-survivors continue to face significant challenges. He described the church's tactics as "persecuting victim-survivors" by subjecting them to lengthy and grueling cross-examinations in court, leading to cases being dismissed. "We cannot, we will not, negotiate with a system that is treating survivors that way until they come to terms with what they've done wrong and accept accountability," Sculley declared.

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They [the church] are still persecuting victim-survivors, sitting them in the witness box for three, four days and just drilling them until they collapse and the case gets thrown out. That's the tactics they were using. So we cannot, we will not, negotiate with a system that is treating survivors that way until they come to terms with what they've done wrong and accept accountability.

Father Marcello Colasante of the Ballarat Catholic Diocese commented on the removal of ribbons from the St. Patrick's Cathedral fence, stating that those outside an approved area were "respectfully removed." He explained that an agreement was reached to designate one panel of the fence as a "living memorial" for victim-survivors, emphasizing an ongoing commitment to safety and safeguarding, particularly for children.

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The understanding reached between ourselves and Loud Fence was to designate one panel of the Cathedral fence for ribbons to be tied to, should anyone wish to do so. By doing this, with a focus on a single panel, the panel then becomes a living memorial for victim-survivors of sexual abuse. It highlights the ongoing commitment we all have to keeping all people safe, particularly the safeguarding of