Gerard Henderson offers compelling criticism of those running the Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse whose primary task appears to be the destruction of Cardinal George Pell. Media Watch Dog No. 347, 3 February 2017.
ROYAL COMMISSION CENSORS PROFESSOR MICHAEL HAINS’ SUBMISSION RE PAUL BONGIORNO, STEPHEN CRITTENDEN AND THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S TERMS OF REFERENCE
On 5 May 2016, the Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse released a document titled Issues Paper 11: Catholic Church Final Hearing. The document commenced as follows:
The Royal Commission will hold a final hearing regarding the institutional response of the Catholic Church to child sexual abuse in February 2017. This hearing is expected to include consideration of the following:
- Data regarding the extent of child sexual abuse within Catholic institutions.
- Factors that may have contributed to the occurrence of child sexual abuse in Catholic institutions, particularly by clergy and religious.
- Factors that may have affected the institutional response of the Catholic Church to child sexual abuse.
- The response of Catholic Church authorities to the findings and observations made in relevant Royal Commission case study reports.
- Current and future approaches of Catholic Church authorities to:
- responding to child and adult victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, including secondary victims
- responding to individuals subject to allegations of child sexual abuse.
- the protection of children and the prevention of child sexual abuse.
The Royal Commission, under the title “Submissions”, then advised that submissions on Issues Paper 11 are invited – from, among others, “academics or other professionals” – concerning a range of matters. Continue reading The Catholic Inquisition – aka Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse