Catholic Church Defends Its Handling of Child Abuse Allegations

By Stuart Rintoul
The Australian
November 13, 2012

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/in-depth/catholic-church-defends-its-handling-of-child-abuse-allegations/story-fngburq5-1226515727142

THE Catholic Church says a royal commission into child abuse is a chance to "clear out" doubts about the church, and has defended its internal processes of dealing with abuse allegations.

“We do need this activity, the inquiry, at this stage, to make quite sure the right thing is being done, to clear out for once and for all any doubt about the church,” Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart said today.

“As I go around from parish to parish, I sense there is a great love for the church, a great love of priests, but a terrible scandal of the few who have offended so terribly,” he told ABC radio.

He said the church would “co-operate fully with the royal commission” announced last night by Julia Gillard.