Catholic leaders in Australia issue a joint statement reaffirming the Church’s unreserved commitment to keeping children and vulnerable people safe in Catholic settings at all times. A joint statement by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Catholic Religious Australia – a body of religious in Australia, comprising more than 150 member congregations – falls on the second anniversary of the final report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Significant progress – the signatories of the statement say – has been made in child protection, but keeping kids safe remains a top priority, and any institution that engages with young people must continue to be vigilant. This, in a nutshell, is the message at the heart of the report monitoring the Church’s action following the Royal Commission request to provide input on the implementation of recommendations and new input.
The statement focuses on progress made during the past year, and in itself, responds to the recommendation to provide feedback to the Royal Commission following the adoption of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards both by lay and religious institutions.
Highlighting the progress that has been made calls for continuing vigilance and work to ensure that strong and effective protocols and procedures are in place, generating a culture committed to prompt and decisive action when allegations arise.
Finally, reiterating the Church’s clear statement that “sexual abuse allegations are to be taken straight to the police as such behavior is a crime,” Br Peter and Archbishop Coleridge reaffirm the Church’s unreserved commitment to keeping children and vulnerable people safe in Catholic settings at all times. Vatican News Department
