Laity to Lead Church Abuse Inquiry Council

The Australian
December 12, 2012

www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/former-judge-heads-church-abuse-council/story-fn3dxiwe-1226535136544

A CATHOLIC advocacy group hopes the church's decision to appoint lay people to lead its council to the child abuse royal commission indicates a willingness to achieve genuine reform.

Two bishops and a nun have already been nominated to the 10-person council but it will be led by members of the laity.

Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart on Wednesday announced former NSW supreme court chief judge Barry O'Keefe and former Australian Medical Association secretary-general Francis Sullivan would respectively be chair and chief executive of the council.

Catholics for Renewal president Peter Johnstone said the church had so far failed to identify systematic institutional failures, but the appointment of people outside the church hierarchy was a good sign.

"I hope ... those lay people will bring an objective and searching mind to the whole issue, and be prepared to speak up and identify the systematic institutional governance failures ... that have not been identified by the hierarchy to date," Mr Johnstone told AAP.

Dr Maree Marsh, a religious sister and doctor who has counselled sex abuse victims, has also been appointed to the council.

The council has been named the Truth, Justice and Healing council to reflect its goals of identifying institutional failures that have impeded the protection of children; promoting lasting healing for the survivors of previous abuse; and identifying all necessary measures to prevent abuse of children in the future.

In a statement, Archbishop Hart said the council would "do everything within its power" to co-operate with the royal commission.

This includes handing over church documents.

"This church will co-operate fully, completely and readily," Archbishop Hart said.

Mr Sullivan told reporters he had wanted to "run a mile" when he was asked to be CEO of the council but he thought the church was genuine in saying the process was about healing.

Mr Johnstone said a key measure of the royal commission's success would be its capacity to identify those institutional failures.

"To date the church has not been prepared to identify systematic institutional failures," Mr Johnstone said.

"I am concerned that the church seems to think that its responses to date, which have been process responses, have been adequate."