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Abuse Victims Demand Answers from Catholic Church over Draft Police Agreement

ABC News
October 4, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-04/abuse-victims-demand-answers-from-catholic-church/5000488?section=nsw

[with video]

EMMA ALBERICI: Abuse victims are demanding answers from the Catholic Church after explosive revelations were aired on this program last night.

They've been shocked to learn of allegations that the Church had tried to strike an agreement with police that would withhold critical information about paedophiles within its ranks.

The police deny the draft agreement was put into practice but a Freedom Of Information request shows the issue goes much further than the Catholic Church.

Jason Om reports.

JASON OM, REPORTER: The latest revelations about the way the Church has handled abuse cases has angered the people whose lives have been damaged.

JOHN ELLIS, ABUSE VICTIM: It's always a sad day when something that you know in your heart but don't want to believe is suddenly, comes to light as being true.

JASON OM: Lateline revealed evidence of a draft agreement between the Church and NSW Police that would have allowed the Church to withhold evidence from police. A key Church official says the Church assumed the agreement was operational, but the NSW Police say it was never signed and never enforced.

John Ellis is a lawyer who was abused as an altar boy in the 1970s and unsuccessfully sued the Church. He says the aim of the agreement would have been to protect the Church's reputation.

JOHN ELLIS: So when the police ask for all information in relation to person X, presumably the Church would provide the information that they thought they should provide, withholding the information they thought they were entitled to withhold, and the police would think they had everything that was available. So, that if that went on for a long period of years, then potentially there could be dozens, hundreds, I wouldn't know the numbers, of investigations that were inhibited by this sort of thing.

JASON OM: He is concerned that critical information such as victims' complaints may not have been passed onto police.

JOHN ELLIS: In terms of how many persons that might affect, that's a question, I think, that needs to be put to the Church.

JASON OM: There are still serious questions about what role the police played. A second agreement was prepared by police, but never endorsed.

And this letter obtained under a Freedom of Information request by the NSW Greens shows that the goal of police was to have a series of MOUs (Memorandum Of Understanding) with the Education Department, the Health Department, as well as the Anglican and Catholic churches. The head of the Catholic Church's response to abuse has promised to investigate the revelations and says they should be put before the national Royal Commission into abuse.

FRANCIS SULLIVAN, CEO, TRUTH, JUSTICE AND HEALING COUNCIL: Obviously we want to get to the bottom of it but I would like to stress when push comes to shove, it's important that something like the Royal Commission also examines these things so that the community can have confidence in an objective assessment, about what's gone on.

JASON OM: The NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and NSW Police Minister Mike Gallagher made no further comment.

Jason Om, Lateline.

 

 

 

 

 




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