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Australian Jesuit Provincial, Fr Mark Raper said on Tuesday night that the Order will ignore legal advice if necessary, in order to work for reconciliation with sex abuse victims on a pastoral level, the Australian Cath-News website has reported.
Fr Raper admitted to ABC TV's 7.30 Report that he had previously been wrong to follow legal advice "against [his] better judgment".
Despite an earlier undertaking, following legal advice last week he had decided not to be interviewed for a 7:30 Report feature on a case involving Lucien Leech-Larkin, who claims he was sexually abused by a teacher at a Sydney Jesuit school 35 years ago. The programme asserted that the Jesuits had refused to offer him any form of reconciliation, despite his repeated efforts.
Tuesday night's ABC report portrayed Fr Raper's about-face as a remarkable change of heart.
"I was moved by Lucien Leech-Larkin, and also for me [viewing the 7.30 Report feature] was a moment of liberation I must say because I'd been accepting advice against my better judgment," he told the programme.
"The tactic has been if one comes to us with a legal attack, we give a legal defence -- but I am not at all content with that approach."
Fr Raper made it clear that the interests of victims will take priority over the Order's need to prevent the erosion of the order's assets by large financial payouts.
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"The assets are not as important as the people that we seek
to serve," he said. "What is the point of doing what we're doing if that's not the case?"
Mr Leech-Larkin's story had first been reported by the 7.30 Report on 23 June.
The following day Fr Raper issued a letter to students, staff and parents of St Aloysius' College, Milsons Point.
In his letter Fr Raper said he sincerely regretted that Mr Leech-Larkin's complaint against the Jesuits has not been resolved after so many years.
"I see it as important to clarify that the complaint related to the actions of a lay teacher off school property, and out of school hours," Fr Raper wrote.
He said the case was currently before the NSW Supreme Court and that
subjudice rules limited what kind of public comment he could make, especially about the events of 1968. It was within these limits the he had agreed to be interviewed by the 7.30 Report.
"With considerable reluctance, however, I accepted vigorous legal advice to the effect that any appearance on the programme ran the risk of contempt of court," Fr Raper wrote.
"I now regret that I did not agree to the interview," he wrote.
In his letter he offered "a sincere apology for any hurt that has occurred to anyone at any time while in the care of the Jesuits in Australia" and promised that "whenever complaints of any nature are brought to my attention, I will ensure that the Jesuits respond personally, promptly, pastorally, and with compassion.
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