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  Lay Panel to Advise Toronto's Catholic Church on Sexual Abuse

Vancouver Sun
April 18, 2010

Peter J. Thompson

TORONTO — The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto is appointing a panel of lay experts to review how it handles cases of sexual abuse by its priests.

"I will be asking a qualified group of lay people, recognized as having relevant experience with youth, psychology, legal issues and ethics, to examine carefully whatever we can learn from other groups, and by July 31, 2010, to recommend any ways that our Procedure can be made even more effective," Archbishop Thomas Collins says in a statement on the archdiocese's website.

He said the current procedure "is transparent and fulfils every obligation of law in Ontario and Canada. It was revised in 1991 and again in 2003, but we need to review it again."

Collins said recent weeks, with their continuing revelations of allegations of sexually abusive priests, have been painful for Catholics.

The Archbishop of Toronto, Thomas Collins in a file photo.
Photo by Peter J. Thompson

"It seems that not a day has gone by in recent weeks without hearing of Catholic priests who have sexually abused those entrusted to their care, or of the failure of their superiors to deal rightly with that."

Collins said the scandals are exceptions to the rule.

"But just one priest gone wrong causes great suffering, and as we hear of evil done by some clergy in our own communities and around the world, we are all filled with dismay.

"Steady reflection upon this painful reality challenges us to work more effectively to do all that we can to ensure that this evil does not afflict the vulnerable in the future."

He said this fall, with the updated procedure in place, priests and others who are engaged in pastoral service in the archdiocese will discuss how they can best respond to the issue of sexual abuse in the Church and in society.

The statement, which is available in six languages, can be found at http://www.archtoronto.org/index.html

 
 

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