AUSTRALIA
ABC Ballarat
[with audio]
Father Shane Mackinlay says the Catholic Church of Victoria’s submission to a parliamentary inquiry, which will look into how the church handled child abuse allegations, admits its failure to respond to complaints. The church says it is now facing the truth.
The Catholic Church of Victoria has submitted a document titled ‘Facing the Truth’ to the state parliamentary inquiry into the handling of alleged criminal abuse of children by religious and other organisations.
It says the submission talks about the clergy’s commitment to caring for children and acknowledges its past failures.
A submission co-signed by 32 Ballarat victims details a long list of physical and sexual abuse at the hand of the church.
Father Shane Mackinlay of the Ballarat Diocese admits that the church had its “head in the sand” for a long time.
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