Right: Anthony and Chrissie Foster, left, and their daughters. Both girls were abused by a priest. One of the girls suicided early in 2008. The Fosters have said that a papal apology is not enough to compensate sexual abuse victims.
web links and documents
The Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance is a group that produces overviews of ethical and religious issues and other issues that arise within the popular media. The have developed an overview titled, 'Child and youth sexual abuse by clergy'. It considers the extent of such abuse, what may caue it and what actions the different chuches have taj=ken to address it. The full text of this overview can be found at http://www.religioustolerance.org/clergy_sex6.htmOn June 25, 2008, Archbishop Mark Coleridge announced that the Catholic Church in Australia was doing all it could to prevent the abuse of young people by clergy. The bishop's statements were reported by the ABC News. The full text of this news report can be found at http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=7842
The full text of Pope Benedict XVI's apology made to sex abuse victims in Australia on July 19, 2008, can be found at http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L18686574.htm
On July 25, 2008, Online Opinion published an article by Professor Frank Brennan, Adjunct fellow in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the ANU, professor of law in the Institute of Legal Studies at the Australian Catholic University, and professor of human rights and social justice at the University of Notre Dame.
The opinion piece is titled, 'Church abuse protocol is no joke' and gives Professor Brennan's view that the protocol, Towards Healing, established by the Catholic Church for dealing with accusations of abuse against clergy is appropriate.
The full text of the article can be found at http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=7677
On April 15, 2003, Online Opinion published an article by John Massam, a campaigner for the Just World Campaign. The article is titled, 'When will the Church stop forgiving child abuse among the Clergy?' It suggests that the Catholic and Anglican churches in both Australia and the United States have been too slow to act against clergy suspected of commiting sexual abuse. The full text of the article can be found at http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=286&page=2
Broken Rites is a support group established to assist those who are the victims of sexual abuse from Catholic clergy. The group's Internet page can be found at http://brokenrites.alphalink.com.au/contact.html