Anglicans Want Truth on Abuses: Archbishop

Herald Sun
June 22, 2013

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/anglicans-want-truth-on-abuses-archbishop/story-fni0xqi4-1226667970874

Brisbane's Anglican Archbishop says church groups should be ready for criticism about abuse cases. Source: AAP

CHURCH groups should be ready to cop heavy criticism in the wake of the royal commission into child sex abuse, Brisbane's Anglican Archbishop Phillip Aspinall says.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse featured strongly in the archbishop's address at the Brisbane diocese's synod on Saturday.

He told hundreds of Anglicans the challenge for them is not that the "truth will come out".

"It will. And we want it to even though there will be times when we will feel ashamed and sickened at that truth," he said.

He says the Anglican Church called for a royal inquiry into child sex abuse in 2002.

It had also made many changes to stop abuse and to help those who have been abused, he said.

"That's not going to stop us from copping heavy criticism in the years ahead," he told reporters after his speech.

"People ought not to be discouraged by the criticism."

He said he knows this may overshadow the good the church does.

"Yes we have to face squarely and cop criticism where it is deserved we have to face the fact that abused happened and fix it," he said.

"But there is also a huge amount of good stuff the church does."