Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart has this week responded to the report by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse into the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Photo: Supplied.
Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart has this week responded to the report by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse into the Archdiocese of Melbourne in Case Study 35 covering the period up to the introduction of the Melbourne Response in 1996.
In a statement distributed on Tuesday 5 December, Archbishop Hart said he accepts the report’s conclusion that showed that there was a prevailing culture of secrecy within the Archdiocese of Melbourne in relation to complaints which were dealt with in a way that sought to protect the Archdiocese from scandal and liability and prioritised the interests of the Church over those of victims.
He went on to say that mishandling of complaints against priests and church personnel and the resulting lack of response to such complaints led to unnecessary suffering for many victims and their families.
“The Church should be a safe place for children but the events point to it having been unsafe for all those who are victims,” Archbishop Hart said.
“Where this abuse occurred, resulting from the passivity or inactivity of predecessors of mine, I sincerely apologise and accept responsibility,” he said.
Archbishop Hart also made the point that he was now confident that the Archdiocese of Melbourne and its parishes and schools have the policies, codes and processes required to ensure child safe environments and to deal with complaints.
He added that there was a firm commitment from all those in parishes, schools and across the Archdiocese “to the ongoing safety and well-being of children in our care”.
“As a Church, we will learn from this Case Study and the Royal Commission’s upcoming report and I make a commitment to greater transparency in our processes, in order to assist victims and their families,” he said.