Australian Royal Commission into Church Sex Abuse Begins

If similar investigation in Ireland and parts of Europe are any guides of what to expect, the Royal Commission in Australia on child sex abuse will result in horrific reports of cover ups and active aiding and abetting of sexual predator priest across Australia.  An article in the Sydney Morning Herald looks at the Commission's launch.  Here are some highlights:

The royal commission into child sex abuse is now open for business. It expects more than 5000 submissions, has already spent more than $22 million, and is unlikely to complete its task by the end of 2015 as requested.

[T]he commission had already serviced notice to produce documents on the Catholic Church, its insurer, the Salvation Army and the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions.

 

Justice McClellan said one of the commission's tasks was to "bear witness" to the abuse and suffering of victims, which it did by making known what happened, including archives for posterity.

Justice McClellan reminded people that the commission would not decide compensation for victims or convict anyone, although it had established links with police in each state and territory. The police taskforce attached to the Victorian inquiry into child sex abuse has already led to three arrests, with more expected.

On the length of the inquiry, Justice McClellan said a South Australian inquiry into abuse in state institutions heard 800 witnesses and took three years, while Ireland's Ryan Inquiry took nine years. He said it was unlikely the commission could finish by 31 December 2015, but it would work hard to get as much done as possible by the interim report, due on June 30 next year, so the government could judge the commission's future course.

A second Sydney Morning Herald article was much more direct on the crimes of the Catholic Church hierarchy and the hierarchy's refusal to accept responsibility for the damage done by sexual predatorys and the Church's conspiracy to cover up abuse.  Here are excerpts:

Catholic Church leaders in Australia were contributing to the ostracism and scapegoating of child sex abuse victims, showing little leadership and little ''will to know'', the inquiry into how churches handled sex abuse has heard.

Edith Cowan University social justice professor Caroline Taylor said church leaders, as well as judges and lawyers, too readily followed misleading stereotypes that minimised child abuse.

''The greatest insurance policy offenders have is the ignorance of the community,'' Professor Taylor said on Thursday. ''I don't believe the Catholic hierarchy has changed its attitude … I haven't seen that probity and will to know, which means setting aside preconceived ideas and being open to learn. It takes courage.''

She said many priests and churchgoers were dismissive of abuse, using language such as ''there was just a bit of touching''. She heard churchgoers say ''when are these people going to stop coming forward? Why don't they show some dignity and keep silent?''

Professor Taylor said children taught to respect the authority of the church often saw offenders as a representation of God and many victims felt their abuse showed they were unloved by God. She said grooming by paedophiles was rife and predators targeted the children of very devout families.

It is probably a safe bet that newly elected Pope Francis will do little to change the policies of cover up and abetting predator priest - unless forced to do so by criminal prosecution of members of the Church hierarchy and major suits against the Church by sex abuse victims.