Aus- Vatican Appoints Archbishop As Papal Nuncio for Australia, SNAP Responds

By Nicky Davis
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
December 12, 2012

http://www.snapnetwork.org/aus_vatican_appoints_archbishop_as_papal_nuncio_for_australia_snap_responds

The Vatican has promoted Archbishop Paul Gallagher to become the new papal nuncio for Australia.

We hope that Archbishop Gallagher will be a better friend to victims and ambassador for the church than his predecessor, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazarotto. Lazarotto has repeatedly refused to assist governmental inquiries into abuse, such as the Murphy Commission in Ireland and the current Royal Commission in Australia, and by doing so has helped to perpetuate cover-ups of clergy sex abuse.

We urge Archbishop Gallagher to reverse the hurtful course of Lazarotto and to actively engage with the Australian government in order to get to the bottom of the clergy sex abuse crisis. We also call on Archbishop Gallagher to do everything in his power to force Lazarotto to come clean about what he knew and when. Sadly, given the history of other papal nuncios, we are not optimistic about this.

Anyone in Australia who has seen, suspected, or suffered clergy sex crimes should immediately come forward to police and avoid reporting their allegations to the church. Silence is a predator’s best weapon.