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  Abuse Victim Echoes Clergy Royal Commission Calls

ABC News
April 1, 2010

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/01/2862359.htm?site=idx-nsw

AUSTRALIA -- The only clergy abuse victim to give evidence to the Wood Royal Commission has added her voice to calls for an independent probe into child sex abuse within the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic diocese.

There are claims the Hunter Valley has a disproportionately high number of people who have been abused by Catholic clergy, prompting calls for a royal commission.

Clare Pascoe was abused by an Anglican priest in Sydney and gave evidence to the Wood Royal Commission in 1996.

She says the inquiry focused on paedophilia across all organisations, as its terms of reference were broad.

She says churches have a unique structure and it makes sense to have a separate royal commission focusing only on abuse committed by clergy members.

"Probably the most crucial element is to have the damage acknowledged," she said.

"That would be one big thing that a royal commission does."

The Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Bishop, Michael Malone, says the diocese is committed to preventing child sexual abuse.

But Justice James Wood, who headed up the 1990s royal commission, says a full-scale inquiry is not needed because the extent of Australia's clergy abuse problem is already known.

However, he is in favour of victims being awarded damages.

"I'm very strongly of the view that both compensation against those organisations who have allowed this to happen and who have covered it up and prosecution of individuals is the critical thing," he said.

"It's such a serious and terrible crime."

 
 

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