What we're talking about

Troy on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I have seen this family fighting day after day for months trying to get their kids/siblings back home. The dedication and ... more
Pauline on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' DHS have destroyed my own family. They failed in their duty of care to provide a baby moniter for the deaf , thousands of ... more
Christine on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' isn't it funny how DHS don't recognise the psychological effects of domestic violence on children and continue to allow ... more
Warrior princess on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' There is a family In the Cairns Area who are Foster Carers.Atherton Child Safety have threatened the carers and own ... more
duncan on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' i have spent time with this family. it is a house full of love. "mum", grandfather and older sblings.this cannot be an issue ... more
Tracey on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Family Law is different from the rest of the law in this country.. Ie. Family Law is based on probability: ie if it might ... more
carol annetta on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' having known this family for some time i am disgusted with the treatment she has received. it seems more of a witch hunt ... more
Maureen Hillary on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Derryn,I have counselled traumatized parents as a result of DHS staff.There are great staff workers who care but they ... more
Janet Tavener on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I am a visitor to this country.My attention was drawn to the case of these children and their foster mother by a relative of ... more
sam on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Happening in Tasmania also.Wewon a court case over 8 months ago and due process still hasn't been done.We spent 17,000 ... more
Anne Glover on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I just cannot believe what the DHS has put the Foster Mother, and the children through - I thought the DHS was supposed to ... more
Tracey on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' DHS are the most disgraceful organization I have ever had the displeasure of becoming involved with. They are so ... more
Vicki on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Hi Derryn,I have known this carer since primary school, she has always put others above herself. Being a carer myself I know ... more
Gran'ma Pam on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' As any of us with any sense know, these children should NEVER have been taken from this lady (mum) in the first place, they ... more
Dominic Lombardo on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I see my daughter every six months DHS are conducting a vendetta against me I have not been told why I can only see her ... more
cassy houghton on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Hello Derryn,Firstly i would like to thankyou for your support and the willingness to help this beautiful family.I ... more
Warrior princess on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Im a carer also in Qld. I see this happen way too much from our Government. They are starting to use Carers own children as ... more
paul on "I'll pay the fee," says Hinch I believe what Liberal Party has done is stupid. But I feel for candidates like Joh Bauch and James Buonopane who want to ... more
Andrea on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Why are these public servants allowed to blatantly flout the law without the same consequences the rest of society faces? I ... more
birth mother on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' i am the birth morther of these 4 children and i just want to say dhs dont care they just want the kids in care so they can ... more

Hinch gives credit to Denis Hart

Posted by: Derryn Hinch | 5 July, 2010 - 5:12 PM

It was an extraordinary day in the life of the Catholic Church on Sunday.

In St Patrick’s Cathedral yesterday Archbishop Denis Hart read a length apology to the victims of sexual crimes at the hands of Catholic priests.

He called it a ‘sincere and unreserved apology’ and he used the word ‘crimes’ –something that has often been avoided by the church, right up to the Vatican in the past.

The statement, which was distributed and read in each of the 219 parishes in Victoria said:

"The scourge of sexual abuse continues to cause great distress and in many, crises of faith among Catholics. Sexual abuse in any form, and any attempt to conceal it, is a grave evil and totally unacceptable."

He also said: "How can we Catholics not be shocked and ashamed ... For me personally, this is one of the saddest times of my 43 years in the Catholic priesthood."

For many victims though they thought the mea culpa was too little too late and for some they said it was ‘just words’.

The proof will be when victims make compensation claims. Will the church continue to insist on confidentiality clauses?

Still, it is a vital recognition at the highest level of a troubled church. I too get a feeling of ‘what took you so long’. It is now more than 20 years since I went to jail for exposing Michael Glennon, a Catholic priest, a child rapist, who was still running a camp for kids and still a practicing priest even after he served a jail offence for sexual offences against a 10-year-old girl.

But, in fairness to Archbishop Hart, it is a huge, if belated, step forward.

Blog comments

hi derryn - actions speak louder than words - the church has been covering up, talking of their towards healing process and its successes, for years! However, there may be 300 victims in Melbourne - in Sydney there are many more. And these are just the ones that we know of....

The church has been covering up priests abuses, changing their names and moving them from parish to parish for far too long. On top of that victims are further re-abused and traumatised by their harassing towards healing process which culminates in victims being coerced into signing deeds they really don't want to sign. But they sign so they can escape their second round of abuse at the hands of the church.

Lets see them look after victims, care for them, give them the counselling they recquire - and then lets publicise their hollow speeches to empty audiences.

Derryn would love to comment further.

Regards, Nikki

nikki Saturday 10 July, 2010 - 5:01 PM
Yes, it was a step forward for Archbishop Hart to again apologies for the criminals he overseas. The next step is to review the process for dealing with the handling of complaints. A good start would be to make atonements in whatever shape, form or monetary recompense that is acceptable to the person they are atoning to. Then the true healing can commence.

Tess Tuesday 6 July, 2010 - 3:36 PM
Time to take the tax free haven status off the church. The church has claimed it deserves this status because it provides charitable services that saves the State money, such as youth services, institutions, schools, homeless shelters, etc. We now all know better -- the Church run institutions have done NOTHING to educate and care for children; instead kids were abused and betrayed. In these global economic times of hardship we cannot afford freeloaders like the Church, whichever denomination. While the Church avoids paying tax it owns millions of dollars of land property, often land given to it for free by the Crown, all the time it relies on a volunteer labour force and the Archbishops live in luxury church accommodation and receive fat church pensions. What a joke! The Anglicans last year were so proud of the $25million they squandered on a small construction project - the spires of their Brisbane Church. meanwhile their foundations are crumbling beneath them as people wake up to their lies and fraud. When children are abused the church uses lawyers and insurance companies to evade their moral obligations. They run their organisation like a business, not a charity, so time they paid tax like any other multinational corporation.

anon Tuesday 6 July, 2010 - 10:06 AM
Thanks Louise for your call to Derryn Hinch well done for all of us FORGOTTEN AUSTRALIANS

Julie Radley Monday 5 July, 2010 - 6:29 PM