AUSTRALIA
Sunday Herald Sun
EDITORIAL SUNDAY HERALD SUN JUNE 02, 2013
THE highly unusual confession from Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart of his personal feelings of shame and burden over the Catholic church’s handling of child sexual abuse cases, makes for compelling reading.
In an interview published in the Sunday Herald Sun, Victoria’s most senior Catholic frankly admits his faith has been tested – but ultimately reaffirmed – as the church finally faces up to decades of child abuse within its ranks.
Archbishop Hart reveals he feels sad, hurt and betrayed by members of his fellow clergy and their sins of the past in either abusing children or covering up the crimes that stole the innocence of countless children and teens.
He also admits he made some mistakes with his own personal response to the crisis, despite being horrified from the moment he, after being promoted to vicar general in 1996, realised his predecessors had systematically shielded paedophiles and that he had inherited a mess.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.