AUSTRALIA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
Friday 30 March 2012
The Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, has issued a statement in response to an article in The Age newspaper (29/03/12) in which Father Tony Kerin, Episcopal Vicar for Justice and Peace, appeared to be supporting demands for a public inquiry into the Church’s handling of sex abuse by clergy.
Archbishop Hart pointed out that whether or not an inquiry is called is a matter for the State, not for the Church. He reaffirmed his position as stated in The Age on 15 March 2012 that the Melbourne Archdiocese has nothing to hide from an independent inquiry.
“I am confident that any inquiry into the Melbourne Response process would confirm this,” writes the Archbishop. “The Melbourne Response has functioned effectively since 1996.”
The Archbishop states that Father Kerin is not his “advisor on sexual abuse issues” as was reported.
“Father Kerin has spoken to me to express his concerns about the article in The Age on 29 March. Contrary to what was reported, he [Father Kerin] has told me that he has not “called for an inquiry”. He has said that what he told The Age is that an inquiry would clear the air”, states Archbishop Hart.
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