The Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, says the Archdiocese has welcomed the announcement of a Parliamentary enquiry into how religious organisations handle allegations of sexual abuse of children and will co-operate fully with the enquiry.
On Tuesday Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu announced a year-long parliamentary enquiry into the handing of criminal abuse of children.
The government has been under pressure to hold the enquiry since it came to office and finally bowed to public pressure with the revelations of dozens of suicides linked to sexual abuse by priests.
However the enquiry has already been undermined with deputy chairman of the Victoria Parliament’s family and community development committee, Frank McGuire, saying his committee was too inexperienced and the wrong body for the task.
The committee has four of its six members having been in Parliament for less than 18 months.
Victims groups too are unhappy.
John McNally, a former altar boy who was abused by a priest insists he never got justice and says the parliamentary enquiry lacks teeth.
Victim spokeswoman, Nicky Davis warned that the enquiry might lead to more suicides amongst victims if it doesn’t go far enough.
”Every victim has that battle with suicide … if they are blocked again it could push some over the edge,” she said.
”After the unadulterated joy of thinking, at last we will be listened to and not drowned out by church lies, comes the realisation we have been set up and given a poisoned chalice.”
”We are going to try to all work together to fight this, and to get it changed to something with at least a chance of justice.”
Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart and Bellarrat Bishop, Peter Connors have undertaken to co-operate with the enquiry.
“I reaffirm the Archdiocese’s position that we have nothing to hide from such an independent inquiry, and I am confident that any inquiry into the Archdiocese’s Melbourne Response process will confirm this,” Hart said in a statement.
“My clear, and often stated, preference is for allegations of criminal conduct to be investigated by Victoria Police and dealt with in the criminal courts.”
“The State, and not the Church, is best placed to deal with these matters.”
Sources
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News category: World.
