By Veronika Oleksyn
Canadian Press
June 23, 2010
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5ii9iVFuyD2S3U1gqAnOUo-uNeGUg
MARIAZELL, Austria — Austria's cardinal unveiled measures Wednesday designed to prevent clerical abuse and help victims in the wake of a sex scandal that has shaken the country's Catholic church.
The Alpine republic has been hit by a wave of abuse claims against priests in recent months that has pushed droves of disgusted believers to turn their backs on the church and boosted calls for reform.
"The wall of silence has to be broken," Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn told reporters in Mariazell, a famous shrine to the Virgin Mary. "This is not allowed to happen and cannot be allowed to repeat itself."
The measures — set to take effect July 1 and approved by all of the country's bishops— foresee a unified approach by church abuse complaint centres to probe and deal with allegations against priests and employees of church-run institutions.
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| Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn presents a paper with the title \"The truth shall make you free\" during a news conference in Mariazell, Austria, on Wednesday, June 23, 2010. Schoenborn has presented a set of measures to prevent abuse by clergy and help victims.The measures, set to take effect July 1, foresee the better coordination of church abuse complaint centers and create a foundation for victims to cover their therapy costs and possible compensation demands. Photo by Ronald Zak |
Other steps include the creation of a foundation for victims to cover their therapy costs and possible compensation demands and the setting up of a special commission within each diocese to advise the responsible bishop on consequences for a priest alleged of abuse.
If there is significant evidence of abuse, indications that more people could be harmed and victims don't object, the church will take the initiative to contact prosecutors unless the alleged abuser does that personally, according to a statement from the Austrian bishops conference.
"I think that this very painful process we are now living through is also a purification," Schoenborn said, adding he believed that much has changed within the church in the past few months. "It is — if I may use the big word — a type of new beginning."
When asked about a recent estimate that up to 80,000 people could leave the church this year due to the scandal, Schoenborn said the number had increased significantly since February but had started to taper off.
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