Catholic Church Vows to Cooperate with Child Sex Abuse Inquiry

By John Ferguson
The Australian
April 17, 2012

www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/catholic-church-vows-to-cooperate-with-child-sex-abuse-inquiry/story-e6frg6nf-1226329888286

Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, has vowed to co-operate fully with an inquiry into child sex abuse.

THE head of the Catholic Church in Victoria has cleared the way to cooperate fully with any inquiry into child sex abuse.

Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart today vowed to cooperate fully with any independent child sex abuse inquiry, which is seen as increasingly likely to be set up.

There was speculation today that the Baillieu government would soon back an inquiry, which could be wider than just offences committed in the Catholic Church.

This followed reports of dozens of suicides linked with old sex abuse cases involving a small number of Catholic priests, although it is acknowledged that other religions have been infected by child sex offenders.

Archbishop Hart today said that any inquiry "may well clear the air" but that the church would wait to see what terms of reference would be drawn up for any investigation.

He also defended the church's handling of sex abuse cases, claiming that the church preferred victims to lay complaints with police but that it was up to the victims to take this step.

"I emphatically agree that it is the job of the police to investigate crime. That's their role, but when a victim comes - this is the difficult point - to the independent commissioner he comes in a special kind of confidence" he told 3AW.

"The problem is that many victims don't want to go to the police, either because they've been before, or the offender is dead, or because the possibility of a court investigation and so on is so traumatic."

The issue of an inquiry is considered highly sensitive for the church as well as the Baillieu government.