The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has invited submissions from individuals and organisations about any factors which may have contributed to the occurrence of child sexual abuse in Catholic institutions, or affected the institutional response to child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

The Royal Commission’s Issues Paper 11: Catholic Church Final Hearing was released today, giving all interested parties the chance to provide input prior to a final public hearing into the Catholic Church in February 2017.

Royal Commission Chief Executive Officer Philip Reed said the Royal Commission case studies have considered a number of Catholic Church institutions, including the Archdioceses of Melbourne and Adelaide, the Dioceses of Ballarat, Wollongong and Rockhampton, Catholic Education Offices, and the Marist Brothers, the Christian Brothers, and the Sisters of Mercy. Case studies have also considered the Towards Healing process and the Melbourne Response.

“The Royal Commission is inviting submissions on a number of factors identified through our work including canon law, mandatory celibacy and the selection, screening, training and ongoing support and supervision of working priests and religious,” Mr Reed said.

“We wish to examine to what extent these and other factors have contributed to the occurrence of child sexual abuse in Catholic institutions, or whether these issues have affected the institutional response to child sexual abuse,” Mr Reed said.

The Royal Commission is also seeking comment and submissions on the current and future proposed approaches of Catholic Church authorities to responding to survivors of child sexual abuse, individuals subject to allegations of child sexual abuse and the prevention of child sexual abuse.

Read the issues paper.

Submissions should be made by 1 July 2016 in writing to GPO Box 5283, Sydney, NSW, 2001 or via email to catholic@childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au. Submissions can be anonymous.

If individuals have participated in a private session and would like their session to be recognised as a formal, confidential submission to this Issues Paper, please contact the Royal Commission at catholic@childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au.

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