The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has published 44 submissions received in response to Issues Paper 11.
Issues Paper 11 invited submissions about any factors which may have contributed to the occurrence of child sexual abuse in Catholic institutions or may have affected the institutional response of the Catholic Church to child sexual abuse.
Royal Commission CEO Philip Reed said the Royal Commission received submissions from survivors of child sexual abuse in Catholic institutions, advocacy groups, academics and other professionals, individual Catholics and one Catholic diocese.
“The submissions made in response to Issues Paper 11 considered issues such as the operation of canon law and the impact of clericalism in the Catholic Church in Australia.
“Further, a number of submissions focused on the structure and governance of the Catholic Church in Australia and the current approach of Catholic Church authorities to survivors of child sexual abuse.
“These submissions will be taken into account in the Royal Commission’s further work in relation to the Catholic Church in Australia,” Mr Reed said.
The Royal Commission will hold a final hearing regarding the institutional response of the Catholic Church to child sexual abuse in February 2017.
