The Catholic Church in Australia has said it will allow an independent board to monitor how it handles clerical sex abuse and publicly report on its compliance.

This step is part of a reform agenda described as potentially “the most significant overhaul of the Church’s approach to clerical sexual abuse in its more than 200-year history in Australia”.

The reform proposals are outlined in the submission of the Church’s lay-led Truth Justice and Healing Council to the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.

The proposals include:

Appointing independent compensation commissioners to determine payments to victims who go through the victim response process known as Towards Healing . This would separate the pastoral responses in Towards Healing from the determination of financial payments.

This would separate the pastoral responses in from the determination of financial payments. the appointment of lay and independent experts to strengthen the Church’s National Committee of Professional Standards.

The introduction of an independent national board to develop and administer national child protection standards. The board would monitor adherence to these standards and publicly report on compliance.

The board would also provide more rigorous assessment, monitoring, auditing and enforcement of Towards Healing practices.

The introduction of greater transparency through public reporting by both the new national board and the Towards Healing process.

The chief executive officer of the Truth Justice and Healing Council, Francis Sullivan, said ultimately it may be appropriate for the Church to merge the reparation element of Towards Healing into a national compensation scheme to which all relevant institutions would contribute to, should this be a recommendation of the royal commission.

Mr Sullivan said the reforms are now being fully developed and will be presented to Church leaders in the first half of 2014.

Sources:

Sydney Morning Herald

Truth Justice and Healing Council

Image: Truth Justice and Healing Council

News category: World.