Ballarat Catholic Diocese Offers Abuse Records to Royal Commission

ABC News
November 15, 2012

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-15/ballarat-catholic-diocese-offers-abuse-records-to/4373392

Ballarat has been identified as a hotspot of child abuse within the Catholic Church.

The Catholic diocese of Ballarat will provide all its documentation on sexual abuse to the national royal commission.

The Federal Government has begun consulting with victims, support groups and state governments about the terms of reference for the national inquiry.

Ballarat has been at the centre of many cases of clergy abuse in Victoria, with four former clergymen convicted with hundreds of child sex offences.

Bishop Paul Bird says the local diocese will provide all of its records.

"We'll be making available any records that we have of complaints that have been made and the record of how we have responded to those," he said.

Meanwhile, Bishop Bird has defended priests' right to keep statements made in confession secret.

Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has suggested the royal commission should investigate whether priests be mandated to report crimes.

Bishop Bird says confession is an opportunity for priests to counsel people who have committed crimes to do the right thing.

He says removing the right to secrecy will stop anyone attending confession.

"If they realised the priest had to report what they were saying, they may not say anything about their crimes," he said.

"So just from a pragmatic point of view, I see a difficult, any benefit really as far as uncovering evidence that police would be looking for."