AUSTRALIA
ABC – The World Today
[Unholy Silence – Four Corners]
Emily Bourke reported this story on Tuesday, July 3, 2012
EMILY BOURKE: There are yet more questions about how the Catholic Church in Australia is dealing with sexual abuse involving its priests with fresh claims that the church leadership has a culture of covering up serious abuse complaints.
Last night the ABC’s Four Corners program revealed senior leaders in the church failed to pass on to police the details of child abuse that a New South Wales priest clearly admitted to.
Angela Ryan from the Church’s National Committee for Professional Standards has told The World Today, the church would prefer victims to go directly to police themselves.
ANGELA RYAN: I would say that if any people come forward with a criminal matter, we actively encourage them to go to the police. We offer to help them to go to the police, but if they won’t go to the police then we will not ignore it and that’s why we have the Towards Healing process.
EMILY BOURKE: Is there not a responsibility on the part of the priests to refer the matter to police if there’s a criminal case to be investigated?
ANGELA RYAN: The matter you’re talking about from last night – I don’t know the case so I can’t discuss that but we actively encourage people to go to the police.
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