Responding to widespread pressure, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced a royal commission into institutional responses to sex abuse across the nation.
Her decision followed new revelations about a Catholic religious order at a parliamentary inquiry in Victoria and the launching of a commission of inquiry into police handling of abuse by Catholic priests in the Hunter Valley.
Ms Gillard said the inquiry would not be confined to the Catholic Church, but extend to all religious organisations and to children in state care, and into other institutions including schools.
She said she had spoken to Cardinal George Pell of Sydney before making her announcement, and he had “indicated that he’s taking a very co-operative attitude”.
Earlier the cardinal had said he accepted that children were abused by priests, and that this was then covered up by other clergy, but these crimes were largely historic and not part of a systemic failing within the Church.
“It wasn’t just the Catholic Church that hoped [an abusive priest] would amend their conduct and give them a home somewhere else,” he said.
“Back in those days, they were entitled to think of paedophilia as simply a sin that you would repent of. They didn’t realise that in the worst cases it was an addiction, a raging addiction.”
Calls for a royal commission had followed testimony to the Victorian inquiry that a paedophile ring within the St John of God order subjected orphans, state wards and intellectually disabled boys to sexual and physical abuse. A researcher for the victims’ group Broken Rites alleged that two boys may have died as a result of severe beatings.
In a written statement, the order said it became aware there had been sexual abuse in its Victorian facilities in 1997. It said the order investigated and reported the abuse to police and ultimately there was a multi-million-dollar mediated settlement.
Following a request from the inquiry committee, the Catholic Church in Victoria has agreed to release internal files on child sexual abuse by clergy.
Earlier, New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell announced a commission of inquiry into the way police handled allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic priests in the Hunter Valley, including whether the Church interfered in police investigations.
Sources:
Image: The Australian
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