AUSTRALIA
RTE News
The head of the Catholic Church in Australia, George Pell, has acknowledged the “shame” of child sex abuse among the clergy and welcomed a sweeping inquiry.
However, Mr Pell also warned that the extent of the problem within his church had been exaggerated.
Yesterday, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard ordered a rare Royal Commission, the highest form of investigation in the country, into how churches, government bodies and other organisations have dealt with possibly thousands of child sex abuse claims.
Mr Pell, Australia’s only cardinal, said the church would co-operate fully with the new inquiry, which can compel witnesses to give evidence and produce documents, and that he did not believe the Catholic Church was the main perpetrator.
“We are not interested in denying the extent of misdoing in the Catholic Church.
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