Final Royal Commission Hearings Starting

Pastoral Message | 2 February, 2017

Dear friends in Christ,

In the days ahead, the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse will review evidence it has already received and seek reasons why this tragedy has occurred.

It will involve the Catholic Church. Victims and survivors and many in the Catholic community may find these days distressing.

Many bishops and other Catholic leaders will be participating. I will be one of the bishops appearing.

Once again, I offer my sincerest apologies to those who suffer due to the criminal behaviour over many years of some among us. As Pope Francis has said recently, “It is a sin that shames us.”

I can assure you that many measures are now in place in the Archdiocese, please God, to prevent these horrendous crimes from happening again. From these troubling times, I am hopeful that new mentalities and structures within the Church in Australia will assist us to move ahead humbly with the work of the Lord.

Be assured of my prayers for you in the weeks ahead, especially those most needing of the Lord’s consoling love and healing.

ARCHBISHOP CHRISTOPHER PROWSE
CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF CANBERRA AND GOULBURN
2nd February 2017

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