Broken Rites has done 'a better job' the Royal Commission

Western Advocate
February 13, 2017

http://www.westernadvocate.com.au/story/4463889/citys-shame-is-still-hidden/

A WEBSITE dedicated to supporting victims of institutional childhood sexual abuse has done “a better job” of outing paedophilia then the Royal Commission, says one journalist who spent the best part of a decade reporting on the crimes.

Former Western Advocate journalist Terry Jones said the website, Broken Rites Australia, had done a phenomenal job in outing what he described as the shame of Bathurst - decades of sexual abuse against students at Bathurst boarding schools.

As the Royal Commission last week began the final hearing into Child Sexual Abuse involving the Catholic Church, Mr Jones said he was still at a loss to think there would be no public hearing held in Bathurst.

He said the city was epicentre of paedophilia and it defied logic a public hearing would not take place.

Mr Jones said the Broken Rites website had done what the Royal Commission should have done – “out this dreadful, horrendous thing which happened in Bathurst”.

He said St Stanislaus’ College, the Vincentians and the city of Bathurst had so far escaped public mention in about 150 Royal Commission preliminary reports or case studies listed on-line, the reason being a number of ongoing court cases relating to the school.

However, he said this was not an excuse that could be accepted.

Mr Jones said he welcomed the current head of St Stanislaus’ College, Dr Anne Wenham's public formal apology to all former students, as well as their families who had suffered because of the actions of a few.

He said as the school could possibly hold the key to how the Catholic Church in NSW, and perhaps Australia, addressed the issue of historic sexual abuse.

He said the starting point was the school's unconditional heartfelt apology to victims of institutional abuse, but he felt more could be done.

He has approached the Catholic Bishops' Conference to approve the dedication of the St Stanislaus' Great Marble Hall as the Catholic Church's wider memorial of Reconciliation in Truth, Justice and Healing.