'Call the Police': Catholic Church Says Sex Abuse Victims Should Call Authorities First

By Emily Bourke
ABC - the World Today
July 3, 2012

www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2012/s3537698.htm

[with audio]

[Unholy Silence - Four Corners]

EMILY BOURKE: There are yet more questions about how the Catholic Church in Australia is dealing with sexual abuse involving its priests with fresh claims that the church leadership has a culture of covering up serious abuse complaints.

Last night the ABC's Four Corners program revealed senior leaders in the church failed to pass on to police the details of child abuse that a New South Wales priest clearly admitted to.

Angela Ryan from the Church's National Committee for Professional Standards has told The World Today, the church would prefer victims to go directly to police themselves.

ANGELA RYAN: I would say that if any people come forward with a criminal matter, we actively encourage them to go to the police. We offer to help them to go to the police, but if they won't go to the police then we will not ignore it and that's why we have the Towards Healing process.

EMILY BOURKE: Is there not a responsibility on the part of the priests to refer the matter to police if there's a criminal case to be investigated?

ANGELA RYAN: The matter you're talking about from last night - I don't know the case so I can't discuss that but we actively encourage people to go to the police.

EMILY BOURKE: Would it be the responsible or the correct thing to do for priests to refer the matter to police?

ANGELA RYAN: In New South Wales it is law now that the matters are referred to police, and in other states we do our best to refer matters to police and it is then up to the police to act.

EMILY BOURKE: Is there an inherent conflict of interest with the church investigating its own and keeping its processes in house?

ANGELA RYAN: The church does not want to investigate its own, the church wants people to go to the police and we actively try to help people. If they don't go to the police and won't go to the police, we will not ignore the matter.

We use the Towards Healing process to investigate the matter.

EMILY BOURKE: Do you think that's a robust process?

ANGELA RYAN: Well it's certainly better than ignoring the matter and I think that in a lot of cases it's worked. It's very difficult in any of these cases because we have people who are deeply distressed and rightly distressed.

And the fact that in the church this should never have happened and we certainly want to do all that we can to deal with matters where it has happened and to use preventative measures in the future.

EMILY BOURKE: Does the process really put victims and their families first?

ANGELA RYAN: Well that is the aim. I do the best I can and I believe in a lot of cases it does work.

EMILY BOURKE: With respect, do you think that those higher up in the church have the same intention?

ANGELA RYAN: I think that we work actively, we have days where we work with bishops and congregation leaders to train them about what needs to happen, to talk with people, and certainly I would do all in my power to make sure that where appropriate, action was taken.

EMILY BOURKE: Angela Ryan from the Church's National Committee for Professional Standards.