AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE ....

Roman Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle
June 2, 2014

http://www.mn.catholic.org.au/media/484819/Release%20of%20Cunneen%20Report%20-%20Open%20letter%20to%20the%20people%20of%20the%20diocese.PDF

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE FROM BISHOP BILL WRIGHT, ON THE RELEASE OF THE REPORT OF THE NSW SPECIAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO MATTERS RELATING TO THE POLICE INVESTIGATION OF CERTAIN CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE ALLEGATIONS IN THE DIOCESE

Bishop Wright’s letter relates to the Special Commission of Inquiry’s report in relation to the second term of reference:

“....whether, and the extent to which, officials of the Catholic Church facilitated, assisted, or co-operated with, Police investigations of relevant matters, including whether any investigation has been hindered or obstructed by, amongst other things, the failure to report alleged criminal offences, the discouraging of witnesses to come forward, the alerting of alleged offenders to possible police actions, or the destruction of evidence.” Almost one year ago, on 1 July 2013, at the commencement of the public hearings into the second term of reference of the Special Commission of Inquiry I made a public apology to the victims of Denis McAlinden and James Fletcher, to their families and friends and to the entire community. It was a detailed statement and I have attached a copy of that apology with this open letter so that you can read it in its entirety. As the Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, it is my responsibility to articulate the tremendous regret that I personally, and we collectively, feel when our brothers and sisters were brought into harm’s way by the failings of our Diocese’s former leaders.

Cooperating with the investigations conducted by Commissioner Cunneen stretched the capacities of the Diocese and tested our endurance. That was as it had to be and I believe it will be clear to anyone who reads the Commissioner’s report; no punches were pulled when it came to the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle or anyone in it. For me and others in this Diocese it is a bitter experience reading this report. Nevertheless, the Special Commissioner and her entire team has my utmost respect for the rigorous and professional approach that they have maintained through this difficult 18 months process, which is now completed.

Commissioner Cunneen’s report is a significant, complex document and the breadth and depth of the report is testimony to the thoroughness of the inquiries conducted. As the Diocese has only recently obtained copies, it will take us a number of days to read through the report thoroughly. I feel certain that the bulk of the report, as it relates to the second term of reference, will not be a revelation to me. I believe that the report will address issues that the Diocese has acknowledged and struggled with for many years now, and will continue to work through for many years to come. I suspect that some of the particular detail will be news to me and others. I and the Diocese’s leadership team will address the implications of any previously unknown facts, adverse findings and recommendations in due course; once we have had the opportunity to undertake the detailed analysis a report of this significance warrants. In particular, the Diocese’s child protection team are scouring the report for any additional lessons that we can learn to improve our practices in protecting children and working with those who were harmed in the past