Royal Commission Focusses on Towards Healing Program

By Emily Bourke
The ABC News
December 9, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-09/royal-commission-focusses-on-towards-healing/5144622?section=nsw

[with audio]

The Royal Commission into Child Abuse has begun its final public inquiry of the year, with the spotlight on the Catholic Church's controversial Towards Healing program. Emotions are already running high, with some people in the public gallery in Sydney leaving the inquiry in tears, as the lawyer for the church quoted from the Bible in his opening remarks. The Towards Healing process was set up by the church in 1996 to handle complaints about sexual abuse by priests.

ELEANOR HALL: The Royal Commission into Child Abuse has begun its final public inquiry of the year, this one putting the spotlight on Catholic Church. And emotions are already running high: some people in the public gallery in Sydney left the inquiry in tears as the lawyer for the Church quoted from the Bible.

The focus of this inquiry is the controversial Towards Healing process which was set up by the Catholic Church in 1996 to handle complaints about sexual abuse by priests.

The World Today's Emily Bourke is at the hearings in Sydney and joins us now. Emily, so clearly it's an emotional hearing already. Can you outline of the scope of this inquiry?

EMILY BOURKE: Eleanor, this is the first chapter of the Royal Commission's examination of Towards Healing - the process, the redress, the apologies and the outcomes in four individual cases. It's worth noting that a significantly greater number of people are expected to give evidence from around the country throughout the life of the Royal Commission.

There's no published data on Towards Healing and so the Royal Commission requested details from the Church, but because of inconsistent and inaccurate databases there's still no complete data.

But based on the Royal Commission's inquiries and collection of evidence so far, we now have a rough idea of the number of cases that have gone through Towards Healing and the millions of dollars paid in compensation for victims.

These figures were detailed by Senior Counsel Assisting, Gail Furness, and here's bit of what she had to say.

GAIL FURNESS: 2,215 complaints were received and about 1,700 people agreed to participate in the Towards Healing procedure. Although not all of these were necessarily pursued or substantiated, but those numbers commenced the process.

76 per cent of all Towards Healing complaints related to alleged incidents of child sexual abuse that occurred from 1950 to 1980, inclusive. Over 60 per cent of all Towards Healing complaints detailed the incident location as a school, college or orphanage.

The Church authority with the largest number of complaints was the Christian Brothers, followed by the Marist Brothers and then the De La Salle Brothers.

It follows then that the most common positions held by the Church personnel and employees, subject to Towards Healing complaints at the time of the alleged incident, were religious brother - that is, 43 per cent of all complaints; Diocesan priest - 21 per cent; and religious priest - 14 per cent.

Of the data available, which as I've indicated is known to be incomplete and only refers to Towards Healing, a total of $43 million has been paid by all Church authorities.

The highest reported reparation amount paid for a Towards Healing complaint was about $850,000.

ELEANOR HALL: That's Senior Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission, Gail Furness.

So Emily, what is the position of the Catholic Church regarding Towards Healing?

EMILY BOURKE: Well the Catholic Church has admitted that Towards Healing is not perfect. But it's a process that has delivered real support to victims both pastorally and financially. But the problem with Towards Healing, as admitted by the Church, is one of compliance.

The Catholic Church, through its Truth, Justice and Healing Council, has admitted that the legal compensation aspect of Towards Healing has become entangled with the pastoral element. And it's outlined a blueprint for reform which would make it more independent or make the process more independent through compensation commissioners and a more rigorous assessment, monitoring and auditing and enforcement of Towards Healing.

Now we've been hearing from the representative of the Catholic Church this morning, Peter Gray SC, the legal representative. And at times during his opening remarks he was interrupted by the Chair of the Royal Commission, Justice Peter McClellan. He was warned for reaching conclusions about matters and he was told quite in no uncertain terms that this was the job of the Royal Commission.

Now during his opening address, Peter Gray SC started quoting from the Bible and that prompted people to walk out in tears and were audibly upset in the public area. He did say of course though that this was a day of reckoning for the Church.

PETER GRAY: This is a searing and decisive moment in the history of the Catholic Church in Australia. The sacred place of children, their innocence and their trustfulness, is central to the Christian tradition and to the Catholic faith. Many will remember from their own childhoods, the ageless words from the Gospel of Mark: "Let the little children come to me, do not stop them. For it is to such of these that the Kingdom of God belongs".

And again from Mark, driving home the point: "Whoever causes one of these little ones to believe in me to stumble, it will be better for him if a great mill stone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea."

The Catholic Church comes before this Royal Commission acutely aware of its failures in this fundamental part of its mission.

ELEANOR HALL: And that's the lawyer for the Catholic Church, Peter Gray. He was representing the Catholic Church's Truth, Justice and Healing Council. Emily Bourke, our reporter, covering the Royal Commission into Child Abuse.