{"id":1156,"date":"2012-09-25T06:01:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-25T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/australian-bishops-pledge-cooperation-with-abuse-inquiry\/"},"modified":"2012-09-25T06:01:00","modified_gmt":"2012-09-25T06:01:00","slug":"australian-bishops-pledge-cooperation-with-abuse-inquiry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/09\/australian-bishops-pledge-cooperation-with-abuse-inquiry\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian bishops pledge cooperation with abuse inquiry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Melbourne, Australia, Sep 25, 2012 \/ 12:01 am (CNA<\/a>).- The Catholic bishops of Australia\u2019s Victoria state have said the Catholic Church in Victoria will cooperate \u201cfully\u201d with the Australian state\u2019s parliamentary inquiry into child abuse.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cSexual abuse in the Catholic Church has caused deep concern among Catholics and the wider community,\u201d Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne said Sept. 21. \u201cIt is shameful and shocking that this abuse, with its dramatic impact on those who were abused and their families, was committed by Catholic priests, religious and church workers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe Victorian parliament has launched an inquiry into how religious and other non-governmental organizations handled child abuse, following suicides by dozens of people abused by clergy, Agence France Presse reports.<\/p>\n

\tThe Catholic bishops said the incidence of abuse has fallen \u201cdramatically\u201d from the \u201cappalling numbers\u201d in the 1960s and 1970s. In the last 16 years, the Catholic Church in Victoria has upheld about 620 cases of criminal child abuse, with most claims regarding incidents between 30 and 80 years ago.<\/p>\n

\tThe bishops said there have been \u201cvery few\u201d complaints of abuse since 1990.<\/p>\n

\tMichael Holcroft, President of the Law Institute of Victoria, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that there is a need for independent investigations.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cObviously there\u2019s a public perception that the church investigating the church is Caesar judging Caesar, and I think that the community is now looking for somebody external, someone independent to get to the bottom of what's obviously been a big problem for a long, long time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\tChrissie Foster, the mother of two daughters raped by their parish priest in the mid-1980s, objected that the Church only revealed the figure on Sept. 21. Foster also accused the Church of doing nothing to stop abusive priests.<\/p>\n

\tArchbishop Hart stated the Church\u2019s support for \u201cbrave\u201d victims of abuse who come forward and speak to the inquiry and the Church\u2019s support for those who do not testify.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe acknowledge the suffering and trauma endured by children who have been in the Church\u2019s care, and the effect on their families,\u201d the archbishop said. \u201cWe renew our apology to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe said the Catholic Church\u2019s submission to the inquiry examines what the Church has learned from \u201cpast failures\u201d and how it has changed its approach to victims and offenders.<\/p>\n

\tThe submission discusses the Church\u2019s commitment to caring for children and developments in society\u2019s and the Church\u2019s understanding of \u201cthe pernicious nature of pedophilia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe Church, both internationally and in Australia, has continued to review and refine its processes, procedures, and practices,\u201d he said. \u201cWe put the child first, and our refined measures promote the protection of children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Melbourne, Australia, Sep 25, 2012 \/ 12:01 am (CNA).- The Catholic bishops of Australia’s Victoria state have said the Catholic Church in Victoria will cooperate “fully” with the Australian state’s parliamentary inquiry into chi…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asia-pacific","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAustralian bishops pledge cooperation with abuse inquiry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Melbourne, Australia, Sep 25, 2012 \/ 12:01 am (CNA).- The Catholic bishops of Australia’s Victoria state have said the Catholic Church in Victoria will cooperate “fully” with the Australian state’s parliamentary inquiry into chi...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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