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Catholic sexual abuse cases in Australia, like Catholic sexual abuse scandals elsewhere, have involved convictions, trials and ongoing investigations into allegations of sex crimes committed by Catholic priests, members of religious orders and other personnel which have come to light in recent decades, along with the growing awareness of sexual abuse within other religious and secular institutions.
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The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is an institution within the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church instituted by Pope Francis on 22 March 2014. The commission received its statutes on 8 May 2015 as part of the Catholic Church's efforts to deal with the scandal of sex abuse of minors. Its singular purpose is to propose initiatives that could protect children from pedophiles in the church. It is headed by Boston's Cardinal Archbishop, Sean P. O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap., who was selected by Pope Francis for this task; earlier O'Malley had been sent to Boston to correct troubles relating to the issue under his predecessor, Bernard Cardinal Law. The creation of the commission was announced in 2013 after Francis was criticized by victims' groups who questioned his understanding of the full scope of the problem. Following a slow start, the commission has, as of 2015, begun meeting with bishops and sponsoring training for church staff worldwide. The most significant proposal of the commission, the creation of an in-house Vatican tribunal to judge cases of bishops who are accused of failing to protect victims, was approved by Francis but has not been implemented.
Barry Stanley John O’Keefe, was an Australian judge and lawyer who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1993 to 2004 and the Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) from 1994 until 1999.
Ronald Austin Mulkearns was the bishop emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ballarat in Ballarat, Australia, a diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Melbourne. He resigned as bishop on 30 May 1997. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that Mulkearns was "derelict in his duty".
Christine "Chrissie" Foster is an Australian advocate for people impacted by child sexual abuse.
References
- ↑ "Announcement of Chair and CEO of the Catholic Church Council for the Royal Commission" (Press release). Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
- ↑ Murphy, Damien (26 April 2014). "Former ICAC chief Barry O'Keefe dies aged 80". Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 22 May 2014.
- ↑ "The Hon Neville Owen". The Truth, Justice and Healing Council. 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
- ↑ Bianca Hall and Judith Ireland, "Sex Abuse Victims May Get Payouts", Sydney Morning Herald 12 January 2013, p. 1.
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