AUSTRALIA
ABC News
[with video]
Victoria Police has criticised the Catholic Church for not referring sexual abuse cases for criminal investigation, with growing calls for a Royal Commission into abuse in the church.
Hamish Fitzsimmons
Transcript
EMMA ALBERICI, PRESENTER: Victoria Police has criticised the Catholic Church for not referring sexual abuse cases for criminal investigation. The church says many victims don’t want to go to police and it has dealt with hundreds of abuse complaints internally. But now there are calls for a Royal Commission into sexual abuse in the church.
Hamish Fitzsimmons reports from Melbourne.
HAMISH FITZSIMMONS, REPORTER: Police say the church could do better in referring sex crimes to them for criminal investigation.
GRAHAM ASHTON, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, VICTORIA POLICE: It’s not fair to say that they have been holding things back in terms of things we’ve asked for, but we believe there’s also an onus the church when they see matters to let us know about them, rather than wait for victims to come directly to us.
DENIS HART, CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF MELBOURNE: I want to make it emphatically clear that the investigation of crimes is a matter for the police. All crimes should be investigated by police, that is their role.
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