A Roman Catholic diocese is appealing a Newfoundland Supreme Court ruling that could see four men become eligible for compensation for sexual abuse at the hands of a priest.

Lawyer Greg Stack is representing four men hoping to have their claims added to a compensation program.
(CBC)

The St. George's diocese, which covers western and southern Newfoundland, is not commenting on its appeal while it is before the courts.

In a ruling filed in January, Supreme Court Justice Fonse Faour found that four claimants — who came forward after the diocese had reached a $13-million settlement — should be considered for compensation.

Almost all of the men involved in the settlement had been molested by priest Kevin Bennett, while he worked in parishes on Newfoundland's south coast.

Prior to that ruling, a trustee had rejected the four newer claims outright, on grounds that their documentation was submitted after a March 15, 2006, deadline. The merits of the respective claims were not assessed.

Faour ruled that the claimants had missed the deadline by a few weeks, at most, and should be considered.

St. John's lawyer Greg Stack, who represented 36 men originally included in the compensation package, said Faour's decision could affect the size of the final settlement.

Kevin Bennett, a Roman Catholic priest, was convicted in 1990 of sexually abusing 36 boys.
(CBC)

"With these legal challenges and the latest appeal to the Newfoundland Court of Appeal, they may not be included at all," said Stack, who is now representing the four additional men.

"But if they are, … [then] the pot, if you like, is a little richer that the church would have to satisfy."

Should the four men be found eligible for compensation, Stack said, the diocese will need to pay out at least an additional $1 million.

In 2005, the St. George's diocese put some of its properties — including churches and school buildings — up for sale to raise enough money to satisfy the pending compensation claim. Church leaders appealed internationally for aid as the properties were bought back.

Bennett was convicted in 1990 of sexually abusing three dozen boys in the 1970s and 1980s, while he worked in the parishes within the St. George's diocese, largely on the south coast of Newfoundland.

Bennett served four years in prison.