An excellent article in regard to an overdue process. I am however, most shocked by the obfuscation of the issue by some of the previous posts, whom I presume to be followers of the catholics church. Given their attitude of blame shifting it makes the royal commission most timely and reinforces the observations in the article.

BTW... The John Jay Report was NOT an independent study. It was paid for by the bishops, and the info given to the John Jay researchers was from the bishops.

Nothing the church officials do is independent. That is why out side law enforcement or a royal commission is so important to get to the real truth about the cover up of sex crimes of innocent children. Otherwise nothing changes.

Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, USA, 636-433-2511. snapjudy@gmail.com,
"SNAP (The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) is the world's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 12,000 members. Despite the word priest in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, teachers, Protestant ministers and increasingly, victims who were assaulted in a wide range of institutional settings like orphanages, summer camps, athletic programs, Boy Scouts, etc."

http://www.snapaustralia.org/
http://www.snapnetwork.org/

Dr Courtney has driven to the core of the issue with an elegantly written, well-argued piece. It ought to generate deep reflection across a society that seems unable to focus on anything and has a government that is strategically keen to fragment it by purposively blending public policy with political expediency.

The Royal Commission must focus on the children first and the damage being done to them by institutions that should protect them

Family Law decisions and processes would have to form an integral part of any such inquiry and must be included in the ToR. Child protection services must also be examined.

As you probably know, judicial officers of the Family Court – including judges, magistrates and ICLs (Independent Children’s Lawyers) are NOT mandatory reporters of child abuse. They also lack professional qualifications and expertise relating to childhood development, children’s sexual development and the very complex subject of child sexual abuse. Because of this they have made decisions that are anything but sensible to the person in the street; eg. removing them from the protecting parents and handing them over to paedophile parents .. convicted and otherwise. Judges accept the advice of ICLs who are not independent despite their nomenclature.

This means that Family Court personnel are just as unaccountable as priests hearing confession.
We do not know whether this is the fault of the law or the fault of paedophile supporters but the Chief Justice admits that the Family Court was never created for doing this work.. and it is doing it badly as we know from the hundreds of clients that we have had who have lost their children simply because they reported father-child incest.

In addition to physical, sexual and other types of abuse - Justice for Children Australia believes that removal of a child from a loving caring parent who has done them no harm is child abuse and must be included in this inquiry.

Ariel Marguin
Justice for Children Australia
www.justiceforchildrenaustralia.org
0411 852 452
fixingflaws@gmail.com

...There is a very good reason paedophiles are classified as “rock spiders”! There is no doubt the Catholic Church must stop treating Paedophile priests as “detritus” to be moped-up by old Father time!

...The diversity of posts here alone highlight the need for a broad ranging Royal Commission of inquiry into “Paedophilia”, and all child care agencies must be included as a consequence.

...Every rock and stone must be lifted to expose child abusers and their “rackets”!

...It is high time to “reinvent the wheel”.

Could I please ask the likes of Sheleyah Courtney and any others who decide to write on matters of the Christian Church to please be definite about their definitions and/or understandings of the Christian Church.

The word "catholic" means "universal". Whilst it cannot be doubted that the Roman Catholic denomination sees itself as the one true universal church, there are many more - i.e. members of other denominations - who disagree. Most denominations of the Christian Church would agree with the words of the Apostle's Creed: "I believe in the holy catholic church" but yet would in no way want to associate themselves with the Roman Catholic Church.

Please, when talking about the denomination of the Christian Church that subjugates itself to the pope in Rome, use the correct terminology ROMAN Catholic Church.

It may upset many Roman Catholics - which you may not want to do in these days of political correctness. But, spare a thought for those of us who are also offended by being associated with that with which we do not want to be associated. Your political correctness is forcing you into a politically correct dilemma.