The Catholic Church has admitted in court it is responsible for the sexual abuse of a nine-year-old boy raped by prolific pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale.
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The defrocked priest is considered one of Australia's worst pedophiles, with hundreds of victims from across Victoria.
Judy Courtin Legal represents a victim who was nine when Ridsdale raped him in a confessional in Mortlake, in Victoria's west, in the 1980s.
The lawyers said the church's latest defence filed in the Victorian Supreme Court included an admission the late Bishop Ronald Mulkearns knew about a complaint of Ridsdale sexually abusing a child in 1975.
The Diocese of Ballarat also admitted it failed to take any reasonable steps to protect the victim from Ridsdale in the 1980s after it knew about the complaint.
"The current Bishop of Ballarat, on behalf of the Estate of the late Bishop Mulkearns, admitted that Mulkearns breached his duty of care to the victim," the victim's lawyers said in a statement on Friday.
"We are pleased that the Catholic Church has admitted liability for the sexual abuse of our client by Gerald Ridsdale.
"We believe this is the first time in Victoria that the Catholic Church has admitted that it failed to protect a victim of child sexual abuse and that it is therefore legally liable."
The victim, known as JCB, said he was glad the church had "seen sense".
"But it shouldn't have to be this hard, especially given that the Bishop of Ballarat has publicly said how much compassion the Church has for victims," he said in a statement.
At a directions hearing in Melbourne on Friday, a trial for damages assessment was set down for January 2020 after lawyers for the victim argued the case should be expedited.
Counsel for the plaintiff Gary Taylor and David O'Brien also told the court the church still refused to hand over relevant documents.
Under Canon Law, bishops had to record "material of moral substance" in relation to priests, which could include complaints, Mr Taylor told the court.
Despite the request for documents, nothing has been handed over to the plaintiff's legal team, he said.
The initial request for these documents was made in October 2018, Mr O'Brien told the court.
The civil action against the church will return to court in October for mediation and if that is unsuccessful, a 10-day trial will be held in January.
Australian Associated Press
