The Ferns Report and the Anglican research

By Clare Pascoe

(http://www.clergyabuseaustralia.org Clergy Sexual Abuse in Australia)

July 2009

The results of two major moves with regard to clergy abuse have been made public in recent weeks. Firstly, the Irish report into abuse in the Catholic Church in Ireland, and secondly the Anglican (Australia)

report on clergy abuse within that denomination here. However, the two approaches are so diametrically different that it is almost impossible to treat them as part of the same process.

The Irish report was a government inquiry, calling for submissions from any interested party; the Australian one was a private report instigated and sponsored by the denomination, and totally unannounced until its results were published. The Irish one investigated all cases of abuse reported to them; the Australian one simply gathered statistics about the cases. The Irish inquiry investigated corruption links between the church and secular bodies; the Australian one held no such brief at all. The Irish report investigated a national church with links to the Pope and around the world; the Australian one investigated a church where each diocese is autonomous and chose whether or not to provide any information at all.

However, there is one major similarity – that neither of the inquiries has the power to enforce changes that will actually protect victims.

More… http://www.clergyabuseaustralia.org/ferns&ang.htm

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