Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne says that until 2001, priests found guilty of sex crimes often kept their positions because of Vatican intransigence. Archbishop Hart told Australia’s Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that a conviction was often not sufficient to have a priest defrocked. “There was a leaning in favour of Read more
Cardinal George Pell has sparked outrage with comments that the Church should not be held responsible for crimes committed by priests. Last week, Cardinal Pell used a “trucking company” analogy before Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Speaking by video link from Rome, the Cardinal likened the Church to a trucking Read more
The Catholic Church in Australia has proposed a national redress scheme for survivors of child sex abuse, funded by institutions responsible for the harm. The Church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council told Australia’s Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that such a scheme should be run by the federal government. The council’s Read more
Questions are being raised over payments to some Australian abuse victims after a religious order sought how to keep information from an insurer. Catholic Church insurer CCI won’t say whether it will try to recover A$9million of payments to abuse victims on behalf of the Marist Brothers. The payments were made to victims of two brothers, Read more
The Vatican has refused a royal commission request that it hand over all information relating to child sex abuse committed by priests in Australia. The head of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Justice Peter McClellan, told a victims’ group he had written to the Vatican on the matter. He sought Read more
The scale of child sexual abuse in Australian institutions is far wider than expected, a royal commission has reported. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse delivered its interim report to government on June 30. So far the commission has received allegations of child sexual abuse in more than 1000 individual institutions. Read more
In the 1990s, a Vatican congregation consistently discouraged bishops from acting against priests accused of child abuse, an Australian archbishop says. Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide was giving evidence at Sydney hearings by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Archbishop Wilson said the Congregation for Clergy had a history of hindering Read more
A religious order flew a paedophile out of Australia and he worked as a headmaster in another country, while wanted by police, a royal commission has heard. Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse is holding hearings in Canberra. It has heard about failures by the Marist Brothers to act on repeated Read more
The chief executive of Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has resigned. Jannette Dines, who had been in the role since 2012, will depart on June 6, reported the ABC. The circumstances surrounding her departure remain unclear. But the ABC understands Ms Dines will be returning to a previous role. She Read more
The Christian Brothers have paid more than A$20 million to victims of sexual and physical abuse in Australia. The figure was revealed at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse at hearings in Perth on May 6. The payments by the order and Catholic Church insurance were made to 531 people, usually Read more