Shadow Minister,
You asked for an example I provided one, where the five victims (for whatever reasons) preferred to contact the headmaster of their old school instead of the media (police was probably out of question because of the statute of limitations).

>>The issue was brought outside the school by the media.<<
Of course, the media had to play a role. Having sent (and published on the internet for you and I to read) a letter to 600 former students (no need to involve parents of now 35-55 years old people) the headmaster naturally knew the media would get involved. Even irrespective of this, you will not send such a letter to 600 various recipients if you wanted it to remain confidential. Not all of these 600 people could have been expected to be interested in a “cover-up”; and probably many of them had renounced their Catholicism anyhow

George, your example is the exception that proves the rule.

With the thousands of abuse cases, this single example, while not covering up the cases, did close to the absolute minimum required.

While the statute of limitations may apply, the predilection of pedophiles to re offend should require that the police would be notified.

Mjpb claims that the church is pro active. I still remain skeptical.

Well here you go, you apologists for Popes, Archbishops and 'decent Catholics' in this thread.

Toowoomba enjoys more than its share of religion-related sex scandals.

The Toowoomba Prep one saw the end of the GG, ex-Archbishop Hollingworth... remember that sexual interlude?

Now a Catholic one is in court, complete with cover-ups at the Bishops place there.

Do visit these links from their local paper:

http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2010/04/15/principal-at-centre-of-sex-scandal-fired-school/

http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2010/04/15/dementia-raised-in-child-rape-case/

Not only did the Catholic office do its best to 'cover up' but also the local police force. Seems they are not all Masons after all!

Also going through the courts in an unrelated case is a scout master, naturally an evangelical Christian, who forced two of his pre adolescent charges to have sex in front of him, so he could 'teach them' how to do it properly... allegedly.

On top of that, Brisbane had a mad bike path rapist who molested and raped women over a number of years, was caught eventually, went to court, and was given a slap on the wrist because he had 'never done this before' and was 'a good Christian'.

There is no end to the rubbish that gets trotted out under-cover-of-religion, but with our law benches full of hardnosed 'believers', and state premiers falling over themselves to weld state-and-church together, as Keneally is doing by giving Pellpot and Jensen a favourable hearing in the St. James Ethics Centre imbroglio, what chance does 'reason' and 'the secular state' have?

The Toowoomba Bishop, no doubt, will vow 'this will never happen again', and 'much has been learned', and maybe even, 'we have a no-tolerance policy', but the reality is that, unlike someone in the thread here who declared that no Catholic that knew this was going on would remain silent, clearly, people 'remain silent' and in awe of the Church ALL THE TIME.

Of course, 'ordinary people' also commit these sorts of crimes, but they do not have a massive, state funded, protected organisation to cover things up, get favourable hearings in courts or come across meek coppers not prepared to be the one to do their own job.

I remain highly sceptical that much will change in the Catholic church:

http://imgsrv.gocomics.com/dim/?fh=5e60ed80a853c203885e733e70aa0a3b&campaign

Blue Cross,

"Now a Catholic one is in court, complete with cover-ups at the Bishops place there."

Interesting to note that anyone found to fail a zero tolerance approach got sacked by the Bishop. Shouldn't the Bishop be protecting them? Ísn't that what people keep saying?

Have you got any links relating to the local police force situation?

"On top of that, Brisbane had a mad bike path rapist ... was given a slap on the wrist because he had 'never done this before' and was 'a good Christian'."

Crims always make up stuff to get a lighter sentence. Are you sure you can take his word for it? Was his slap on the wrist a 25 year jail term reduced on Appeal to 16 years behind bars? Don't you realize how lightly all crims get punished? It is interesting to note that his claim to be a good Christian wasn't taken into account in sentencing:
http://archive.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/2010/QCA10-026.pdf

"...clearly, people 'remain silent' and in awe of the Church ALL THE TIME."

In awe of the Church? The Church boots them out if they are found to have failed to report crimes. I don't get it. Or do you mean the victims? The first offence was apparently in 2007 and the offender was behind bars by December, 2009.

"Of course, 'ordinary people' also commit these sorts of crimes, but they do not have a massive, state funded, protected organisation to cover things up, get favourable hearings in courts or come across meek coppers not prepared to be the one to do their own job."

So what organisation got a favourable hearing for crims in court? A crim claims to be a good Christian to make out he is a good bloke (without apparent effect) and gets a light sentence and that is somehow controlled by the Catholic Church? BTW the offender was an ordinary person - a teacher - who just happened to work in a Catholic school.

Severin,

I can't think of anything relevant left that they could change.