Catholic Church Wary of Vic Abuse Report

The Herald Sun
November 5, 2013

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/catholic-church-wary-of-vic-abuse-report/story-fni0xqi4-1226753329028

The Catholic Church says victims' stories should be at the centre of a Victorian child abuse report.

THE Catholic Church doesn't want police allegations that it hindered investigations into child abuse included in a Victorian parliamentary committee's report.

The report, which is due to be handed to parliament next week, will make findings and recommendations on institutional responses to child abuse.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton told the inquiry that the church had covered up offending and not reported a single case to police.

Church spokesman Father Shane Mackinlay says the church has some reservations about the inquiry as it had not been able to test the evidence.

"The allegations that were made were presented in very general terms and without evidence to support them," he told AAP.

"We would be very surprised and concerned if they appear in the report."

Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart and Cardinal George Pell gave evidence at the end of the inquiry, acknowledging failures in the past but saying the church had changed.

Fr Mackinlay said they would have preferred to speak earlier.

"There were well-established positions and patterns emerging within the inquiry by then," he said.

"The structure that the committee chose is going to make compiling a full and comprehensive report more challenging."

Fr Mackinlay said he hoped the victims' interests were at the centre of the report.

"We do expect that there would be, and there needs to be, really strong opportunity for the harrowing stories of victims to be told," he said.

"Both in what originally took place and how it was responded to - it needs to be part of the report."

Fr Mackinlay says the church received 95 abuse complaints in the past financial year, seven of which were referred to police.