Australian bishops in Rome to restore faith

Australian bishops have been meeting top Vatican officials, including the Vatican secretary of state and the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, to discuss the situation of the Catholic Church in Australia.

The Australian delegation – which included Denis Hart, Archbishop of Melbourne, Mark Coleridge, Archbishop of Brisbane and Justice Neville Owen of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council – discussed “the restoration of trust” amid sex abuse allegations.

Current allegations before the court  in Australia involve Australian cardinal George Pell, a top adviser to the pope.

Pell is currently on leave of absence from his position as the Vatican’s chief financial officer, facing historical sex abuse charges. He has steadfastly denied his involvement in any sex abuse.

A press release from the Holy See says a number of topics were covered at the Australian bishops’ meetings. They included the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the relationship between the Church and society at large, the restoration of trust, and greater participation of the laity in decision-making roles in the Church.

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