AUSTRALIA
The Age
November 2, 2012
Barney Zwartz
THE Catholic Church will need state intervention to resolve the crisis surrounding sexual abuse of children by priests, according to noted jurist and Jesuit priest Frank Brennan.
”Where there is a social organisation within the democracy with a proven and self-admitted case of ongoing criminal activity, and it’s related to very vulnerable children, the state should intervene,” he said.
Delivering the annual Law and Justice Oration in Sydney’s Parliament House on Wednesday night, Professor Brennan said: ”Clearly, the church itself cannot be left alone to get its house in order. That would be a wrongful invocation of freedom of religion in a pluralist, democratic society.”
His comments echo those made by RMIT professor and former priest Des Cahill to the state inquiry into the church handling of clergy sex abuse.
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