Royal Commission report
National
The Church’s progress in implementing the relevant recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has been outlined in a new report from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia.
Released to coincide with the five-year anniversary of the initial response, the report is part of the Church’s ongoing efforts to be publicly accountable for how it is working to create, maintain and enhance safe environments for children and all people at risk.
In the report’s preamble, the presidents of CRA and the Bishops Conference draw on the words of Pope Francis, who said every member of the Church “is called to assume responsibility for preventing cases of abuse and to work for justice and healing”.
The new report lists each relevant Royal Commission recommendation, the response that was given in 2018 and a high level summary of work undertaken since.
In the report’s preamble, the presidents of CRA and the Bishops Conference draw on the words of Pope Francis, who said every member of the Church “is called to assume responsibility for preventing cases of abuse and to work for justice and healing”.
“It is to this responsibility that we commit the ACBC and CRA anew, and to which we call all Catholics in Australia, as we give this account of actions taken to implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse,” write Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB and Fr Peter Jones OSA in the report.
“It remains our hope and prayer that all that we have done, are doing and will do, may help to bring healing to those so gravely harmed when in the Church’s care.”
They note that the past five years have been a period of ongoing listening and learning, and a time for the development of additional practices, policies and procedures.
The update outlines some key milestones since the 2018 report, including:
- implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, now in a second edition;
- establishment of Australian Catholic Safeguarding Limited;
- development of the National Response Framework and related National Response
Protocol; - preparation of new programs for priestly and religious formation; and
- progress on a new national code of conduct.
View the report at catholic.org.au
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