BishopAccountability.org

Catholic Church Slammed by Vic Child Abuse Inquiry

By Samantha Donovan
The ABC News
November 13, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-13/catholic-church-slammed-by-vic-child-abuse-inquiry/5089916?section=vic

[with audio]

In its final report, the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations has condemned the Catholic Church for trivialising the problem, failing to hold perpetrators accountable and keeping allegations from the public. The Church has accepted some of the criticism and says it will consider the report's recommendations carefully.

MARK COLVIN: The Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into child sexual abuse has condemned the Catholic Church for protecting offenders, trivialising abuse and keeping the details from the public.

The inquiry tabled its final report today. It recommends a dramatic overhaul of the handling of abuse in the state's religious and secular organisations.

The Catholic Church has accepted many of the report's findings and says it will consider the recommendations carefully. They include setting up an independent scheme to compensate victims and making it a criminal offence to put a child in danger.

The Victorian Government says it will start drafting legislation to make some of the changes immediately.

Samantha Donovan reports.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: After nearly 600 submissions and more than 150 hearings, the committee conducting the inquiry tabled its report in the Victorian Parliament today.

Committee member, Andrea Coote, was scathing of the Catholic Church's record. She said the report's criticism of the Church and the Salvation Army was an inevitable consequence of the volume of complaints received by the committee.

ANDREA COOTE: Rather than being instrumental in exposing the criminal abuses in the Catholic Church, it minimised and trivialised the problem, contributed to abuse not being disclosed or not being responded to at all prior to 1990, ensured that the Victorian community remained uninformed of the abuse, ensured the perpetrators were not held accountable with the tragic result being that some children continued to be abused by some religious personnel when it could have been avoided.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Andrea Coote condemned the Catholic Church's evidence to the inquiry.

ANDREA COOTE: With the notable exception of Father Kevin Dillon, we found that today's Church leaders view the current question of abuse of children as a short-term embarrassment which should be handled as quickly as possible to cause the least damage to the Church's standing.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: The Victorian inquiry has recommended the setting up of an independent scheme funded by churches and other organisations to compensate victims and provide other support, and that an independent statutory authority oversee the handling of child abuse complaints.

It wants people made criminally liable for putting a child in danger or being reckless to the possibility of abuses taking place. The failure to report offending would also be made an offence.

The committee is also keen to see the statute of limitations amended so that there's no time limit on civil cases being brought before the courts. It also wants to see churches and other organisations incorporated so they can be sued.

The Victorian Premier, Denis Napthine, says his Government will consider all of the report recommendations as a matter of urgency.

DENIS NAPTHINE: We will commence immediately drafting legislation to implement a number of the key recommendations. including creating a new grooming offence, creating a new child endangerment offence, making it clear that it is a crime to conceal criminal child abuse offences.

I'm ashamed and embarrassed by the actions of the Catholic Church or the lack of actions on these matters.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: The Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, gave a press conference this afternoon. He spoke on behalf of the state's diocese and Catholic congregations.

Archbishop Hart accepted some of the report's accusations, including that the Catholic Church had been secretive in its dealings with child sexual abuse complaints.

DENIS HART: I have to accept that Church leaders in the past concealed crimes and caused other children to be offended against. I believe that they were very slow to realise the situation. I believe it was wrong and I don't believe, in my time anyway, that we've sought to trivialise the situation.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Archbishop Hart says the Church will consider the report's recommendations carefully.

DENIS HART: Particularly the recommendations about criminalisation, about the responsibility to proper care and the responsibility to report. We support totally the whole question of people's ability to sue the Church. We don't step back from that.

Melbourne lawyer, Angela Sdrinis, has acted for more than 1,000 victims of child sexual abuse. She's impressed by the thoroughness of the Victorian inquiry's report.

In particular, she's welcomed the recommendations for setting up an independent compensation scheme, removing time limits on bringing a court case and the incorporation of churches and other organisations so they can be sued.

She says, though, some of the recommended changes to existing laws will be difficult to make.

ANGELA SDRINIS: But that's why, again, the independent justice avenue which the committee has recommended is very important, because there's no reason why that shouldn't be up and running very quickly and then allow a bit more time for the legislative process to be gone through.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: And the setting up of an independent statutory authority to oversee the handling of complaints, how important a recommendation do you think that is?

ANGELA SDRINIS: Well, that's vital because, as we've seen, it's the lack of independence in the current protocols which have resulted in injustice, in feelings of betrayal.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: The CEO of the National Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Janette Dines, says that probe is required to avoid duplication and will review and fully consider the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry report.

MARK COLVIN: Samantha Donovan.




.


Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.