The Catholic Church may replace its existing schemes for handling child sexual abuse complaints and providing redress to survivors.
New Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli says the archdiocese's Melbourne Response and the national Towards Healing may be wound up and a new alternative provided to the national redress scheme.
"Both of those I think will come to a completion and a new third pathway I think will need to be worked through," he said on Thursday.
Archbishop Comensoli said bishops have already committed to developing the new scheme and were consulting with external parties including some victim groups.
"I don't know what that's going to be yet, but it won't be Melbourne Response and it won't be Towards Healing," he said after addressing the Melbourne Press Club.
"It will be essentially capturing those who might not want to go down the path of the national redress scheme or to go down the path of civil litigation."
He said it would also include vulnerable adults and people abused in some way that was not a criminal matter.
"There are various needs for this third way that's being developed."
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is expected to release its response to the five-year child abuse royal commission's recommendations on Friday.
Australian Associated Press
