Looking for light amid Royal Commission's Catholic wrap-up

There may be improved vetting of candidates for priesthood and religious life. To what extent do these examinations explore their own experience of abuse? There is rarely mention of abuse in the home among family members, though we know it to be rife. The Church must surely address this issue very actively if the abused are not to become abusers, whether in their own families or in professional capacities and relationships, or the cycle may repeat in another generation.

Frank, I am surprised that you refer to "the usual sporadic Aussie doses of anti-Catholicism" in the context of the attention on the church due to the unmitigated scandal of clerical child sexual abuse. I hope you don't mean to suggest that that attention on the Church is due in any degree to inherent anti-Catholicism rather than a proper response to the scandal. You rightly refer to 'dreadful' and 'depraved' abusers but you don't mention the terrible scandal of the institutional Church itself covering up for so many abusers, protecting and moving them to new parishes, and thus facilitating further abuse. When we're caught out in terrible behaviour, it's not very relevant to claim that some people don't like us. In fact, in my many decades in many jobs, locations and social groups in this country, I've never experienced any prejudice that could be described as "the usual sporadic Aussie doses of anti-Catholicism." As Catholics, we have done very well as part of Australian society, a situation put at risk by our Church's exposure of children to paedophiles and ephebophiles.

I think it would help if the Church admitted it has failed, especially in recent decades, to uphold the eternal verities in this area: Heaven. Hell. Choice. Eternity. When was the last time you heard a priest or bishop preach the catechism on these topics? Sexual abuse, like any violation of the sixth commandment (including adultery of course), is a mortal sin and, unrepented, merits eternal damnation. So does the deliberate covering up of sexual abuse. Moreover, secular law should reflect the degree of this evil. Sadly, it's not so reflected in prisons in the "enlightened" West where, the convicted live a lifestyle so salubrious that many people in underdeveloped countries would enthusiastically choose it over their current lot. As I have noted before, we have diaries of tourists noting that in Catholic baroque Venice, sexual abusers were regularly garroted in St Mark's Square. That may be a step too far for some these days, but it's a lot closer to the authentic Catholic perception of the evil of these deeds and may indicate why their commission engenders an inclination to suicide in the victims, as Fr Brennan notes.

These survivors need more than the help of God and the quoting of scriptures. They need proper compensation and they need it now. No ifs, no buts. Do not wait for the recommendations of the Royal Commission & “perhaps” a National redress scheme. No hiding behind lawyers & the disgraceful Ellis defence.

Some great comments here. Peter, your opinion of Frank's anti-Catholic remark is spot-on. It is completely inappropriate in this context. Tim, your observation about compensation is also on the ball. Sell the churches, sell the schools, sell the land, whatever. It's time for the Catholic Church to do the right thing. Actually, the time has long passed, but better late than never. Abused folks never heal, but they can have better lives, and cash can lubricate that process.

We now know that at least 7% of Australian Catholic priests have complaints of child abuse made against them in the last 35 years, and from 20% to 40% of religious brothers have similarly been accused. The real figure may be higher. Our Church won't address the child abuse issue adequately unless it abandons compulsory celibacy and also stops being sexist. We wouldn't have anything like the extent of the current crisis if we had famale priests, as well as married priests. Bishops, remove the blinkers so many of you are wearing and start listening to lay people. Also listen to what progressive Bishops like Geoffrey Robinson, Pat Power and Bill Morris have said. They have advocated for a Vatican Council to address this one critical issue - child abuse in our Church - and they want the laity well represented at this Vatican Council. I suggests that readers email their Bishop with a similar request. All that it needs for the triumph of evil over good is that good people do nothing! The evil of child abuse in our Church has caused a crisis that won't be solved by our clergy alone. We need a special, lay-represented Vatican Council.

Thank you Father Frank for this very thoughtful homily. Although one instance of sexual abuse is appalling and to be decried, I'd like to put in a word for all of those religious orders, priests and sisters who upheld their vows and did their best to honour our shared faith. Yes, seven per cent of priests abusing children and teenagers is appalling. So is the fact that between 20 and 40 per cent of religious orders abused those entrusted to their care. But no one is speaking up for the 93 per cent of priests who upheld their vows and did nothing more than say 'hello' to families and children at Mass and at school. They and the 50 to 80 per cent of religious orders who taught and respected the children and teenagers entrusted to their care are the majority. Let us weep and pray for those who were abused, their abusers, those who have done nothing wrong, all of the people working so hard at the Royal Commission and all of us regular Catholics going to Mass and receiving the sacraments who are defending our faith. Oremus pro invicem. Kind regards and God bless.

I am a survivor of sexual abuse which effected me badly. One day I went to Boys Town in Western Australia which was run by the Benedictine monks near New Norcia. While there I was told that a lot of the boys orphaned there became Priests and Brothers. Many of those boys would have experienced sexual abuse and become perpetrators themselves. This issue is a lot more complicated than many will acknowledge. We need to find healing, peace and understanding. We need to stop the shaming, as shame makes people not want to talk about it. While I very much want to be compensated for the life I was forced to live, I more than anything want society to learn and understand what makes people do these types of things, and how as a society can we support people not to commit these types of crimes. Father Frank I thank you because being a catholic at the moment is hard, because of what people in the church did. I want us to be a light able to take away the darkness. I also want to honour the words of Jesus who gave his life fighting for justice, peace and prosperity for all people.

Good to read Michael's comments. Never hear of any support being offered to abusers who may be in a lonely place trying to cease their actions. These people need pastoral care. Many of us know of exemplary Catholics who are perpetrators within their families. A cousin of mine was repeatedly raped by her father over many years from childhood. She was one of nine children in a model Catholic family, very involved in parish life. When one of her sisters went to the Parish Priest in her anguish he merely said "Forgive and forget"!! In Ireland it was even considered a normal rite of passage. Justification does not help the victim who is left feeling betrayed, confused and hurt beyond repair, and in danger of repeating what has been done to them. Amidst the devastating shame we are sharing at the present time, what are the plans for pastoral care to support family life in this particular area of very great concern?

While each and every case of child abuse is to be deplored, we must maintain some balance. The 4,444 cases reported by Francis Sullivan include unsubstantiated claims of abuse of varying degrees. During this terrible period of abuse, millions of Australians have been educated, nursed and cared for by devoted priests, nuns and brothers. Their lives have been enriched and enhanced by this care and devotion. For many their Christian faith as nurtured by devout priests, nuns, and brothers will always be a central part of their daily lives.

Accusations have been made against 40% of the members of some religious orders. And the other 60% saw nothing? That beggars belief. Why then did they feel no obligation to report their suspicions to the police? If the behaviour one walks by is the behaviour one condones, then we are not looking at a few bad apples here but a whole case of them.

"we expect that some of our church leaders will appear, looking stunned and helpless" I do not doubt the majority of us pray for those directly affected. I pray also that true leaders of the Church will be upright and help the light rise. Those past leaders who have failed so many must not feign innocent ignorance. They should stand up and share grief, regret and sorrow. Regardless, their inaction was not good enough and they must move on. Allow our Church to renew...

Thank you Frank for that Homily. I fully endorse Tim's comments regarding compensation. And, for goodness sake get rid of that honorific "Father". Language says it all and it turns us all into children.

On Thursday I was summoned to give evidence before the royal commission on the seal of the confessional. You can read the transcript of evidence commencing at page 25101 of the transcript for 9 February available at http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/case-study/261be84b-bec0-4440-b294-57d3e7de1234/case-study-50,-february-2017,-sydney

I am sick and tired of hearing about devout nuns and priests. This is a discussion about the sexual abuse of children and the cover up that is still going on. There is something fundamentally wrong when these devout priests did nothing to either stop the abuse or demand proper compensation. Their moral framework placed the vow of obedience ahead of the rape of a child.

Like Tim, I too am sick of the litany of penitential hand-wringing by bishops and senior clerics. Jack Waterford's article in today's Age is well worth reading. He points out that if this had happened in any other organisation public or private there would have been 'regime change' - either via mass resignations or mass sackings. Bronwyn Bishop and Sussan Ley each lost their jobs for the inappropriate use of a few thousand dollars. Australian bishops seem to get away with anything so long as it's not heresy. For Waterford's article see < http://www.theage.com.au/comment/we-need-a-catholic-yom-kippur-and-a-serious-sacrifice-20170224-guko5e.html >

The church supposedly represent the work of Jesus Christ the Saviour. Jesus travelled from one side of the lake to the other, encountering the crowds of needy. The church has lost too many bricks to be sound and needs to face that it is ready to crumble unless it seeks visible healing from Jesus. I would like to see the leaders of the Catholic Church do as little as the Pharisees at least and go down to the lake and speak to Christ. Truly I would like to see them go there over and over and say Lord We have failed your little ones, we have failed you. God was not absent as this was happening. Each representative of the church needs to confront their own sin as to why they failed to hear and respond. The church has a 3 year cycle so this would be the recommended time for this. Each person representing the church needs to front up outwardly to Jesus as the Gentiles did and not hide in a cubicle and perform a checklist. Lord Jesus have Mercy on us, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen