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	Church Must Protect Children: Qld Govt The Age March 4, 2008 http://news.theage.com.au/church-must-protect-children-qld-govt/20080304-1wti.html The Anglican Church has a duty of care to protect children in its congregations from paedophile priests, the Queensland government says. But Police Minister Judy Spence said the sexual predators should be allowed to attend church - particularly if they had not been charged. Her comments followed assurances from Brisbane's Anglican Dean, Bishop John Parkes, that priests charged with sex offences were immediately stood down from their position and their licence suspended, so that they could no longer perform duties as a minister. But Bishop Parkes said the priests could not be stopped from interacting with children as part of the congregation nor from participating in church duties open to any lay person, including singing in a choir. Last week, The Courier-Mail newspaper reported that convicted paedophile priest Robert Francis Sharwood took part in church duties in the Holy Trinity Church in the inner Brisbane suburb of Fortitude Valley and sang in the choir. Canon Barry John Greaves, who is set to stand trial on child sex abuse charges in August, has also taken part in Bible readings at the church. Ms Spence said that the Anglican Church was acting appropriately. "It is fair that these people are able to attend church, particularly if they are not charged," Ms Spence told AAP. "But, obviously, the church has a duty of care to ensure that children who go to church in whatever capacity, whether it's Sunday school or participate in church choirs, are monitored at all times, so they aren't susceptible to sex offenders in their midst. "Whether these people have been charged or not, I think the church really does have to make sure that it has processes in place to protect children who are part of their congregation." Sharwood faced a church tribunal hearing on Saturday and is now awaiting a decision on whether he will be defrocked. An Anglican Church spokesman said the church was committed to protecting children. "Adequate provisions are in place on church property to ensure children are not left alone with anyone charged with or convicted of a child sexual offence," the spokesman said. "The Diocese of Brisbane requires that any person convicted of child abuse must enter into a reintegration program with the parish and the diocese." The program included supervision, restrictions on involvement in church activities and monitoring of individuals while they were on church grounds. The same requirements applied for anyone charged with sexual abuse who still wanted to participate in their parish before their case was heard, the spokesman said. He said Queensland's children's commissioner had acknowledged the church's work in identifying and managing risks of harm to children.
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