AUSTRALIA
Eureka Street
Editorial
Michael Mullins July 15, 2012
Church leaders have a responsibility to protect the reputation of the institution of the Church. They are also custodians of a very high moral duty to protect the most vulnerable in their care, including sexual abuse victims.
It is a common criticism that they have previously given priority to looking after the reputation of the institution over the needs of sexual abuse victims, who have suffered further as a result.
On the other side, many critics are not obviously concerned about the rights of the Church’s ‘good people’ and positive values represented by the institution.
It appears they wish to see the needs of victims addressed in isolation.
There is goood reason for suggesting the needs of victims are more important than those of the institution, but it is not helpful in the long term to assign priority to one or the other. Because the sexual abuse problem is endemic, the long term common good requires a more wholistic strategy.
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