Sun, 11. November 2012
A narrow inquiry Barry O'Farrell?
There is something terribly wrong with the Catholic Church and I am not referring to their crazy beliefs or their ugly dogma. They can believe whatever they like, it doesn't make it real.
No, I am referring to the paedophile priests within their ranks. We know they are there. The stories have been leaking out all over the world, as victims come forward. I've seen so many authentic tv documentaries and so many news items and newspaper articles over the last twenty years to know that the practice of molesting and raping young children has been rife in the Catholic Church for decades, probably even for centuries.
It's happening all over the world and it's happening here in Australia. The church covers the crimes up, weakly deals with them "internally", refuses to notify the crimes to the police and moves the perpetrators to another post, whilst Governments are too frightened of the Cardinals to investigate properly.
There is a part time parliamentary inquiry currently going on in Victoria. Not good enough.
Last week I heard two very senior Federal MPs, Greg Combet and Joe Hockey on the air, forced to admit that there is a problem but refusing to support an enquiry. Mr Hockey said "We can't have an inquiry into the Catholic Curch, that's ridiculous!" Not good enough, Joe. We know you are a catholic. Now you and Greg Combet appear to be part of the cover up.
In NSW, despite Cardinal Pell trying to stop it, Premier Barry O'Farrell has foreshadowed an inquiry, although limited to the Hunter region of NSW, outside Pell's area. Not good enough.
If state governments won't do it properly, then we need a National Royal Commission to investigate the victims allegations; to determine the facts; to find out who perpetrated the acts; to discover who is responsible inside the Catholic Church for ordering and taking part in the cover up; to help the victims; to ensure the church compensates them adequately; and to ensure that it stops by establishing and enforcing modern control procedures inside the Catholic organisation. Those found out should be subjected to the full force of the law, no matter how high up the catholic pecking order they are.
The Catholic church leaders tell us that the Catholic Church is the fountain of all morality, yet they pretend there is no problem and no cover up; and they carry on lecturing the rest of us, with all the piety and hypocrisy that they can muster, about how to conduct our own lives.
Why is it so difficult for governments to understand that there needs to be a widespread enquiry into church paedophelia and the illegal coverups. I'm a big O'Farrell supporter but you've got this one wrong Barry. A government which only does half the job loses three quarters of its credibility.
A narrow enquiry is not the answer, it's not good enough, it needs to be at least state-wide and it has to have the powers of a Royal Commission. It ought to be an Australian Royal commission because the Catholic Church moves it's priests all around Australia when they are found out.
The cover up is just as disgraceful as the original crimes and politicians need to understand - that by not authorising maximum royal commission inquiry powers - they are themselves becoming part of the shameless catholic paedophilia child abuse coverup.
A narrow inquiry Barry O'Farrell?
WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.
Please do it properly.