Australia Royal Commission Recommends Sweeping Child Safety Changes in Catholic Church, Victims Respond
Statement by Steven Spaner, SNAP Australia Coordinator, [email protected], +1 (314) 994-3534
The findings and recommendations of the Royal Commission are a watershed moment in the child safety movement. Institutions and wrongdoers across Australia are now on notice that turning a blind eye to child sexual abuse abuse—or covering up abuse to save the reputation of a church or a school—is no longer tolerable.
Bishops will be quick to scoff that the report is anti-Catholic and an attack on the tenets of the faith. That is not true. The report is an attack on bad conduct—bad conduct that must stop. The way to stop bad conduct is through strict adherence to good policy. It also requires that the laity, whose children have been so deeply hurt, become stakeholders in the decision-making process.
Australia’s Catholic Bishops have some tough questions to answer. Some of the recommendations, including priestly celibacy, cannot be addressed by the local bishops. But others are vital to child safety, such as immediately implementing national child safety standards; publicly clarifying if information about abuse received from a child in the confessional is protected by the seal; reviewing and revising protocols for decision-making, priestly formation, pastoral effectiveness; and involving the laity in the governance of the church.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 25,000 members. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact – Joelle Casteix (949-322-7434, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003, [email protected]), Melanie Sakoda, (925-708-6175, [email protected])
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director