'I Apologise Again for Failures', The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, November 14, 2013

'I Apologise Again for Failures'

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn
November 14, 2013

http://www.cg.catholic.org.au/news/view_article.cfm?id=681&loadref=16

With the royal commission’s examination of the Catholic Church’s response to child sexual abuse imminent, Archbishop Denis Hart has welcomed the recommendations of a Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the issues.

Archbishop Hart, head of both the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and the Melbourne Archdiocese, said it was hoped the inquiry and its recommendations “will assist the healing of those who have been abused”.

He said the recommendations covered five important areas: changes to the criminal law; easier access to the civil justice system; an independent, alternative avenue for justice; greater independent monitoring and scrutiny of organisations; and further improvements to prevention systems and processes.

“The committee’s report is rightly called Betrayal of Trust. I have spoken before about this betrayal and the irreparable damage it has caused. It is the worst betrayal of trust in my lifetime in the Catholic Church,” Archbishop Hart said.

“As the inquiry heard, we were far too slow to address the abuse, or even to accept that it was taking place. I fully acknowledge that leaders in the Church made terrible mistakes. These are indefensible. We know that the long-term suffering of victims and their families continues.

“On behalf of the Catholic Church in Victoria I apologise again for these failures to the victims, to their families, and to the community.”

“We believe that they have supported victims who have come forward, and have helped prevent further abuse. At the same time, we accept we can do better and are committed to improvements wherever possible,” he added.

Meanwhile, in response to a recommendation from the Victorian inquiry, theChurch’s Truth Justice and Healing Council said it will ask federal, state and territory attorneys-general to start work on a national compensation scheme – with no caps - for victims of child sexual abuse.