The Royal Commission has
announced details of its public hearing into the Catholic Church’s child
sexual abuse reparation scheme, Towards Healing.The public hearings will start on 9 December in Sydney and will be the first of a number of public hearings to examine the application of Towards Healing in responding to victims and allegations of child sexual abuse against personnel of the Catholic Church.
The December public hearing into Towards Healing will focus on the experiences of four Queensland residents who participated in the process. The accused at the time of the abuse were priests and brothers of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, the Diocese of Lismore, and the Marist Brothers.
Truth Justice and Healing Council CEO Francis Sullivan said the
Catholic Church, through the Truth Justice and Healing Council, would
fully cooperate with the Royal Commission. 'There have been many
heinous, despicable crimes committed by people in the Church,' Mr
Sullivan said.
'As the community of believers who make up the Church, we were not responsible for the crimes and cover ups of the past, but we are now responsible for how we react to them. The testimony of victims will tear at the hearts of both Catholics and non-Catholics alike.'
'As the community of believers who make up the Church, we were not responsible for the crimes and cover ups of the past, but we are now responsible for how we react to them. The testimony of victims will tear at the hearts of both Catholics and non-Catholics alike.'