AUSTRALIA
The Australian
NEIL KEENE From: The Daily Telegraph June 25, 2013
A SENIOR police officer investigating child sex abuse in the Catholic Church said prosecutions “weren’t the way to go” when it came to historical offences, a special commission of inquiry has heard.
Newcastle journalist Joanne McCarthy told the inquiry, which resumed yesterday, that a senior police officer involved in investigations called her in 2010 to tell her a “truth and reconciliation” process might be more appropriate.
“I thought in my head: ‘As if’,” she said.
The first part of the commission of inquiry is looking into why police whistleblower Peter Fox was taken off the investigation and whether it was appropriate to remove him from the case.
Evidence expected to begin next week aims to shed light on whether the Catholic Church covered up instances of pedophilia, and if so to what extent.
Ms McCarthy, whose work prompted calls for a Royal Commission, said she had encountered various police hesitant to pursue the Catholic Church.
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