AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald
By MARGARET CUNNEEN July 2, 2013
This is an edited transcript of the opening remarks of Commissioner Margaret Cunneen at the second session of the Special Commission of Inquiry into child sex abuse allegations in the Catholic diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.
TODAY we start on a new and important part of this inquiry.
While the public hearings to date have concentrated on the conduct of police officers, this second limb focuses on the conduct of Church officials of the Maitland-Newcastle diocese, including whether they hindered or co-operated with police investigations.
The sexual abuse of children is abhorrent.
It has a devastating and long-lasting effect on victims and their families, and on the community generally.
It should not be tolerated or condoned by any modern society.
It can be very difficult for children to speak out about sexual abuse. When they do, the collective responsibility to take action weighs heavily on all.
Child sexual abuse by a priest involves a gross breach of trust of the highest magnitude. It breaches the trust of the victims and their families in a manner that is reprehensible and may cause irreparable harm.
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