Church Has Culture of Abuse Denial: Priest

SBS
February 15, 2013

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1737376/Victorian-clergy-abuse-inquiry-extended

A priest has told a Victorian inquiry there is extraordinary denial within the Catholic Church hierarchy about sexual abuse.

The Catholic Church is in extraordinary denial over child sex abuse and its absolute mess of a system for dealing with victims has lost all credibility, a priest says.

Geelong-based priest Father Kevin Dillon says the church lacks accountability, is more interested in protecting its name and assets and needs to overhaul the way it deals with abuse victims.

The church hierarchy has been in denial on the issue of sexual abuse, Fr Dillon told a Victorian parliamentary inquiry into sexual abuse within religious organisations during a hearing in Geelong on Friday.

"For years there was an extraordinary denial that went on," he told the inquiry.

"I think of the riding instructions to protect the church's good name ... (and) protect their assets.

"I think often the church works with a lack of accountability."

Fr Dillon said the church's system of dealing with victims needed to be overhauled.

"I'm not a lawyer, but I don't think they should have any choice.

"(The systems) have lost all credibility to victims and are beyond repair."

Fr Dillon said all priests, including himself, remained under a cloud of suspicion because of the way the church had dealt with abuse allegations and victims in the past.

"It's a mess, it's an absolute mess.

"I think it's beyond the church's capacity to do this - there's too much history, there's too much difficulty."

Fr Dillon, who has been dealing with sex abuse victims for more than a decade, said despite his public advocacy for victims, church leaders had never sought his opinion on its processes.

Most of the public gallery burst into applause at the end of Fr Dillon's testimony.

Victim Max Johnson, 72, told the inquiry of the abuse he suffered at the hands of Catholic priests at orphanages in the Geelong area.

"They couldn't keep their hands off you, they were always mauling you and touching you in the shower," he said.

"They just did anything to you and they were allowed to do it... They had to know what was going on."

Mr Johnson said he had never been taught to read or write, which had inhibited him throughout his life.

The inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other non-government organisations has been holding public hearings since October after receiving hundreds of submissions from victims and church and legal groups.

The deadline for the inquiry committee to report back to parliament has been extended from the end of April to September 30, inquiry chair Georgie Crozier said on Friday.

"I always said that our committee was focused on conducting a thorough inquiry and not a hasty inquiry," she said.

Ms Crozier said the committee was already making progress, citing it as a key factor in the federal government's decision to call a royal commission into institutional sexual abuse.