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A lay-led Truth, Justice and Healing Commission will co-ordinate the Catholic Church’s response to the forthcoming Australian royal commission on sexual abuse.
Its chairman will be a retired Supreme Court judge, Barry O’Keefe, QC and its chief executive officer will be another prominent layman, Francis Sullivan.
The only other member named so far is Dr Maree Marsh, a Brigidine sister and psychologist who has counselled sex abuse victims.
Announcing the Catholic commission, the chairman of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne, said the Church recognised it needed a sophisticated and co-ordinated response.
He promised a new era of transparency and honesty, saying the Church would co-operate “completely, fully and readily”, including providing all documents that might be requested.
Archbishop Hart said the new commission would also work with victims of clergy sex abuse.
Mr O’Keefe is a former commissioner of the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption, former chief judge of the NSW Supreme Court, chairman of Interpol’s International Group of Experts on Corruption and chairman of the International Anti-corruption Conference.
He is also the brother of Australian rock and roll pioneer Johnny O’Keefe.
Mr Sullivan has been secretary-general of the Australian Medical Association, chief executive of Catholic Health Australia and a consultor of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry.
Mr O’Keefe said it would not be the council’s role to prepare Church witnesses for the royal commission.
Mr Sullivan said the Church will consider having a victim represented among the council’s 10 members.
“I would think that if there was a way in which it could be, a person would feel that they were able to participate in the council, that it wasn’t traumatic in any way, then that would be good,” he said.
Sources:
Image: Canberra Times
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News category: World.
