AUSTRALIA
Brisbane Times
December 13, 2012
Barney Zwartz
ONCE bitten, twice shy, the adage says, and Catholic bishops in Australia over the decades have made all sorts of promises about learning the lessons of abuse, putting victims first and the like that have crumbled under the pressure of expediency.
So the wider community might be doubly sceptical about what changes the church’s new lay-led Truth, Justice and Healing Commission might actually produce, especially as the two men appointed yesterday to run it could not give any examples.
New chief executive Francis Sullivan gave fine promises about truth, justice and listening.
”We are really genuine in saying this process is about healing, which will never happen unless we first listen,” he said. ”And to listen, we need to be in the other person’s shoes, and to step into these shoes won’t be easy – it will take an open heart and compassion. But that’s our brief.”
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