I am the person responsible for child protection training in my Church. It is my STRONG belief that all people in these situations need to be treated in the same way. The law should not make allowances for Churches, regardless of the circumstances.

That said, I think we need to be careful in all cases, to protect the rights of those involved. False accusations can be extremely damaging, as can the revealing of witness identities. But, as I've said, Churches should not have different rules.

Settlement of actions is routinely done without admission. Interpreting what may well have been a purely commercial decision as some type of tacit admission is dangerous and logically flawed.
I also find it a little peculiar that the author alleges apparent breaches of human rights because the Church gathers information about people, and that the decisions made by the Catholic Church materially affects their lives.
As far as I know the decisions of the Catholic Church only affect the lives of those who choose to associate themselves with the Church. Surely a church is entitled to keep records of its members and actions?

A great article. A just decision. I agree with the author's conclusion comments - moreso last sentence in conclusion -
"The Church cannot now lean on the state to support its breaches of human rights, such as the gathering and holding of secret information about people, and the use of this to materially affect their lives through decision-making behind closed doors. By not proceeding with their Appeal, the Church was quietly conceding that it is not above the rule of law in respect of matters not directly related to theology. It is a pity the conclusion to an important case like this was not reported in the press".