AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald
December 23, 2015
Dr Judy Courtin
Sano taskforce detectives are appealing for information in relation to allegations of child sexual assault of an unknown number of male victims who were 14 years of age at the time.
The alleged crimes were said to have occurred between 1996 and 2001. The location is peculiarly specific – St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne – the cathedral of the archdiocese of Melbourne.
The police are asking for victims, or anyone with information, to come forward.
The dates here are noteworthy. In 1996 George Pell, then an auxiliary bishop, became the archbishop of Melbourne. Father Denis Hart, as he was then, became Monsignor Hart, the vicar-general (the forerunner to becoming a bishop).
There has been much evidence before the child abuse royal commission that 1996 marked the beginning of an era when the church took its obligations and responsibilities for clergy sex crimes and their cover-up much more seriously.
Church spokesmen have said this new era meant transparency, accountability, justice for victims and a new leadership showing integrity, courage and a commitment to authentic change, including ending the clerical culture that put the good name of the church before the needs and rights of victims.
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