AUSTRALIA
Big Pond News
Friday, October 19, 2012
Victoria Police has attacked the Catholic Church for allegedly destroying evidence of sexual abuse by clergy and being more concerned with its reputation than the welfare of abuse victims.
Deputy police commissioner Graham Ashton has told Victoria’s parliamentary inquiry into abuse by religious organisations that the church places its image first and victims second.
Mr Ashton said of the 620 cases of abuse the church says it has internally upheld since 1956, none have been reported to police.
In giving evidence to the inquiry, he accused the church of ‘wrapping a special process’ around a member of the clergy accused of sexual abuse.
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