Sex Abuse Inquiry: Ballarat Bishop Says No to Letter

By Tom Mcilroy
The Courier
April 5, 2012

http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/sex-abuse-inquiry-ballarat-bishop-says-no-to-letter/2514037.aspx

Bishop Connors

BALLARAT’S Catholic parishioners attending Easter mass will not receive a controversial letter calling for an independent inquiry into clergy sexual abuse in Victoria.

Bishop Peter Connors said yesterday he had not received the letter from a group calling itself Commission of Inquiry Now, or COIN, and priests in the Diocese of Ballarat would not discuss the issue during homilies at masses this weekend.

COIN chairman Bryan Keon-Cohen QC and victims of sexual abuse by clergy wrote to parish priests in Melbourne and Ballarat this week, asking them to read the letter during Holy Week masses.

The group is calling for a state-established independent inquiry into the handling of abuse, and adopted the tactics of church leaders who sent more than 80,000 letters expressing opposition to same-sex marriage from Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart to parishioners last week.

“It seems that Archbishop Hart is more focused on campaigning against gay marriage than dealing with the crisis in his own organisation,” the letter says.

“Before the Church can ever again exert moral authority on any issue, it must deal with the weeping sore of clerical sexual abuse.’’

The letter also sought donations for the ongoing campaign.

Victorian opposition MP Ann Barker, a leading advocate of an independent, state-led commission of inquiry into clergy sexual abuse, said the issue was not an attack on faith but rather was a question of justice.

“Most people I speak to realise this is about the pre-eminence of state law in Victoria, and the principle that people who commit crimes, and those who have had crimes committed against them, need to have their day in court.

“Only an independent state-led commission can ensure Victoria can learn from any crimes, or mistakes in processes from authorities including government departments and police, and then, to the best of our ability, see this never happens again,” Ms Barker said.

Ms Barker last year travelled to Ireland to study the response to sexual abuse and said the Ballarat community had been seriously affected in recent decades.

Ms Barker is part of a group that has written proposed terms of reference for an inquiry or possible Royal Commission.

“I remain optimistic we will get an inquiry. Many of us were pleasantly surprised and very pleased that one was recommend by the Cummins Report (into protection of vulnerable children).”