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	Protect the Innocent, Ignore the Unfaithful The Age October 24, 2007 http://www.theage.com.au/news/editorial/protect-the-innocent-ignore-the-unfaithful/2007/10/23/1192941064988.html IN RECENT years the moral credibility of the Anglican Church has been significantly undermined by its failure to protect children from sexual abuse at the hands of lay workers and clergy. Thus its plan — which has been approved by the general synod — to establish a national register of church officials accused of child abuse or sexual misconduct against adults has potential benefits in protecting the vulnerable and restricting the activities of predators who move too easily between dioceses or denominations. However, the plan has several flaws that subvert its integrity and purpose and that need to be resolved before it can be considered in any way workable. Not the least is the threat an unproven allegation could pose to the civil liberties and reputation of anyone on the register. While the church says it would take steps to safeguard against this by removing vexatious, unfounded or misleading complaints, the damage may already have been done. Making judgements about the substance of a complaint before it is included on any register is further complicated by the fact that each of Australia's 23 dioceses could have different standards by which it would measure the weight of an allegation. In the more morally conservative dioceses, those accused of adultery — which is prohibited under church rules — could find themselves on the register alongside suspected child abusers. Apart from undermining the gravity of any register, this would open it up to manipulation by whatever elements in the church would wish to impose their particular moral code. Sitting in judgement of what is a grey area in broader society is suggestive of a return to the dunking stool and is a misplaced distraction from the more necessary and laudable goal of establishing a workable register that protects the innocent. This month the Anglican Church cleared the way for female priests to become bishops, a progressive move that reflected the realities of the times we live in, not the mores of times past. Similarly, to continue to move forward the church should abandon any idea of subjecting those accused of consensual sexual infidelity to peer review and concentrate its vigilance on protecting the truly vulnerable from those who seek to abuse them.
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