AUSTRALIA
Crikey

MATTHEW KNOTT | JUN 20, 2013

Will the Catholic Church’s controversial protocols for dealing with sexual abuse claims survive a royal commission? The man in charge of the Church’s response says he expects a new, more independent system.

The Catholic Church’s protocols for responding to sexual abuse claims have failed some victims and are likely to be replaced with a more independent system, according to the layman co-ordinating the Church’s response to the royal commission into abuse.

The Catholic Church has two abuse protocols: Towards Healing, a national system, and the Melbourne Response for the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Both have been heavily criticised by victims’ support groups, academics and police.

“I don’t think they’re adequate,” Francis Sullivan, chief executive of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, told Crikey when asked about the protocols. “Clearly there are aspects of criticism that need to be addressed. There are individuals…