Report outlines progress since Royal Commission ended

Post courtesy of Cathnews

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia have submitted a joint report to the National Office for Child Safety on the Church’s implementation of the child abuse royal commission’s recommendations.

“While acknowledging that there is much more work to be done, the report outlines a series of actions taken during the past 12 months – indeed, over the past three decades – and signals the determination of the bishops and religious leaders to do what is required,” ACBC president Archbishop Mark Coleridge said.

The report looks at the work of some important Catholic organisations, including the Implementation Advisory Group, an advisory body monitoring the Church’s response to the Royal Commission and its recommendations, and Catholic Professional Standards Ltd, an independent company developing safeguarding standards and auditing compliance with those standards.

At the grassroots level, safeguarding activities continue in congregations, schools, dioceses and agencies across the country.

The report also explores the Church’s engagement with the National Redress Scheme, in which 27 of 35 archdioceses, dioceses and eparchies are now participating, and which the first religious order has now joined.

More dioceses and religious institutes are currently having applications to join the scheme processed by the Department of Social Services and are expected to join in the coming months.

CRA president Sr Monica Cavanagh RSJ said “Catholic religious continue to acknowledge the depth of pain endured by survivors of abuse within the Catholic Church and all those who have been hurt by that abuse”.