Talking to children about the Australian Royal Commission

Tuesday, November 27th, 2012

The sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church represents so much sinfulness that it seems to drive home Jesus’ point: by their fruits you shall know them.

Australian Catholics are going to face very difficult questions as this Royal Commission conducts its work: What do we really know of our Church? How can we grow in our faith within an organisation whose fruits may well be found to be rotten?

As a mother of children being raised in the Catholic faith, who go to Catholic schools, who are old enough to watch the news and understand, I don’t know how to explain to them why a Royal Commission is being called.

As a Catholic, I am not helped by the response of the Church’s leadership to the Royal Commission. I’d liked to have told my children that the Catholic Church is acting with compassion and understanding for the victims of abuse and a determination to protect children into the future. Rather, I was left trying to explain why Cardinal Pell sounded defensive and seemed to be projecting blame onto the media for reporting stories of abuse.

It’s a challenge to raise children in a religious faith. It’s a challenge to hold on to a religious faith as an adult, especially at times like these, when the very institution that has nurtured faith may well be found to have so broken its own faith with Jesus, with its followers and with the community at large.

My Catholic faith has nurtured me; it has given me every great value I have; it has guided me through the best and the worst periods of my life; it has brought me closer to God and delivered moments of real grace.

I object in conscience to the Church’s teachings on women, homosexuality and contraception. But I have always endorsed every word of the Apostles’ Creed, have always believed Jesus is the Son of God, and that his grace is available to me through the sacraments of the Catholic faith.

These past two weeks have tested my faith in the Church like nothing else. It’s possible the findings of the Royal Commission will create a crisis of faith for many Australian Catholics. By their fruits you shall know them: can a church be so sinful yet also full of enough grace to still mediate Jesus’ love to its followers? Continue reading

– Kristina Keneally is CEO of Basketball Australia and the former Premier of NSW

Image: The Australian