Call to Make Inquiry Global to Investigate Shifting of Priests

The CathNews
December 18, 2012

http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=34540

Australia should use its seat on the United Nations Security Council to push for a UN inquiry into how the Catholic Church moves paedophile priests from First to Third World countries to avoid investigation, the Victorian inquiry into clergy sex abuse heard yesterday, reports The Age.

Victims' lawyer Angela Sdrinis said she feared an epidemic of abuse in coming decades in developing countries that lacked a strong, independent police force.

''We know that the problem of child sex abuse within the Catholic Church is an international problem.''

No other religious group so often transferred abusers interstate or overseas, especially to Third World countries, she said.

The ABC reports that the inquiry was told victims of child sexual abuse face a litany of difficulties reporting and settling their complaints.

The Care Leavers Australia Network said that churches and institutions have confusing processes for dealing with complaints. It says victims are deliberately isolated and that redress schemes are a "hopscotch" of secretive arrangements.

An AAP story in the Sydney Morning Herald reports that Ms Sdrinis told the inquiry that victims of institutional abuse must be financially compensated as part of a broader acknowledgment of wrongdoing.

She said victims' desire for justice outweighs their desire for financial compensation but money is vital because victims' experiences "cost them a great deal".

"The money is important because the money is a tangible acknowledgment of wrongdoing," she said.

Information for the community on the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry

The Catholic Church in Victoria is providing information to keep the community informed about the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry. For example, the Church website www.facingthetruth.org.au, includes media releases, facts sheets, a Pastoral Letter from the Victorian Church leadership, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions