AUSTRALIA
The West Australian
Kate Emery, The West Australian
Updated October 25, 2012
Perth’s new Catholic Archbishop says the Church’s “shameful” history of sexual abuse is to blame for it no longer being “heard or respected” in public debate.
Timothy Costelloe said there was a growing gap between Catholic values and those accepted in society, with the Church “sidelined, attacked and ridiculed” for expressing its views on everything from abortion and marriage to the treatment of asylum seekers.
In an unusual move, Archbishop Costelloe, writing in Catholic newspaper The Record, suggested the Church must shoulder some blame for its loss of community standing.
His comments come amid renewed criticism of the Church’s methods for dealing with abuse allegations, which have been aired at Victoria’s parliamentary inquiry into child sexual abuse.
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