The Impact of International Reports on the Australian Royal Commission’s Report into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse with Regard to the Catholic Church
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.37597Keywords:
child abuse, sexual abuse, Catholic Church, priestly ministryAbstract
In December 2017, the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse published its 17-volume report. Books 1 and 2 of Volume 16 were focused on religious institutions, especially on the Catholic Church where the incidence of child abuse was highest. In its methodology, findings and recommendations, the Royal Commission was heavily influenced by 17 prior government- and Church-sponsored inquiries in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, the UK and the US. This article describes in some detail these reports, and assesses through a quantitative citation analysis the impact of these major international reports on the work of the Royal Commission, especially the eight most influential. They added to the credibility, moral authority and depth of the Royal Commission report.
References
Adriaenssens Commission Report. 2011. The Belgian Church Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Context of Pastoral Relations. http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/243734-2-adriaenssens-report-original.html
Attorney-General of Massachusetts. 2003. The Sexual Abuse of Children in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston: A 2003 Report by the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/downloads/archdiocese.pdf
Cahill, D., and P. Wilkinson. 2017. Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: An Interpretive Review of the Literature and Public Inquiry Reports. School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne. https://www.rmit.edu.au/content/dam/rmit/documents/news/church-abuse/child-sex-abuse-and-the-catholic-church.pdf
Canadian Ad Hoc Bishops’ Committee. 1992. From Pain to Hope: The 1992 Report from the Ad Hoc Committee of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops on Child Sexual Abuse. http://secure.cccb.ca/pubs/pdf/184-278.pdf
Chicago Report. 1992. The Cardinal’s Commission on Clerical Sexual Misconduct with Minors: The 1992 Report to Joseph Cardinal Bernadin, Archdiocese of Chicago. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/1992-06-BernardinReport/
Cloyne Report. 2011. The Irish Commission of Investigation: Report into the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne to the Irish Government. http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Cloyne-Rpt
Cumberlege Report. 2007. Safeguarding with Confidence: Keeping Children and Vulnerable Adults Safe in the Catholic Church. Report to the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales. http://www.csas.uk.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Safeguarding-with-Confidence-The-cumberlege-Commission-Report.pdf
Deetman Commission. 2011. Sexual Abuse of Minors in the Catholic Church: The Deetman Commission of Inquiry Report to the Catholic Bishops of the Netherlands. http://www.onderzoekrk.nl/eerste-onderzook/einropport.html
Ferns Report. 2005. The Francis Murphy Report to the Irish Minister for Health and Children into the Diocese of Ferns. https://archive.org/stream/243711-2-complete-ferns-report-so-ireland#page/n0/model/2hp
Groenhuijsen, M. 2014. Sexual Abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands. Paper delivered at workshop on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church sponsored by the International Institute for Sociology and the Law, Onati, Spain. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt16314q1
John Jay Report (John Jay Center College of Criminal Justice). 2004. The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States, 1950–2002 (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C.) A report presented to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by the John Jay Research Team. http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/The-Nature-and-Scope-of-Sexual-Abuse-of-Minors-by-Catholic-Priests-and-Deacons-in-the-United-States-1950-2002.pdf
—2011. The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States, 1950–2002. A report presented to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by the John Jay Research Team. http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/The-Causes-and-Context-of-Sexual-Abuse-of-Minors-by-Catholic-Priests-in-the-United-States-1950-2010.pdf
Keenan, M. 2012. Child Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church: Gender, Power and Organizational Culture. Oxford University Press, New York.
Mouton, R., T. Doyle, and M. Peterson. 1985. The Problem of Sexual Molestation by Roman Catholic Clergy: Meeting the Problem in a Comprehensive and Responsible Way. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/1985_06_09_Doyle_Manual/
Murphy Report. 2009. The 2009 Murphy Report into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PB09000504
National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People. 2004. A Report on the Crisis in the Catholic Church in the United States. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC.
Nolan Report. 2010. A Programme for Action: Final Report of the Independent Review on Child Protection in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. http://www.csas.uk.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/A-Programme-for-Action-2001.pdf
Restoring Trust Report. 1994. Restoring Trust Report: A Pastoral Response to Sexual Abuse: Volume One. U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Sexual Abuse, Washington, DC. http://bishop-accountability.org/reports/1994_11_NCCB_Restoring_Trust/
Rossetti, S. 1996. A Tragic Grace: The Catholic Church and Child Sexual Abuse. Liturgical Press, Minnesota.
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. 2017a. Final Report, Volume 16, Book 1. https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/final_report_-_volume_16_religious_institutions_book_1.pdf (accessed 8 May 2019).
—2017b. Final Report, Volume 16, Book 2. https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/final_report_-_volume__16religious_institutions_book_2.pdf (accessed 8 May 2019).
Ryan Report. 2009. The Ryan Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. Report to the Irish Minister for Health and Children. http://childabusecommission.ie/
Terry, K., and J. Freilich. 2012. Understanding Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Priests from a Situational Perspective. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 21(5): 437–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2012.693579
Winter Report. 1990. Report of the Archdiocesan Commission of Inquiry into the Sexual Abuse of Children by the Clergy. Report to the Archdiocese of St. John’s, Newfoundland (Chair: Hon. Gordon Winter). http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/cns_tools/TheReportoftheArchdiocesanCommissionofEnquiryConclusionsandRecommendations.pdf
Attorney-General of Massachusetts. 2003. The Sexual Abuse of Children in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston: A 2003 Report by the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/downloads/archdiocese.pdf
Cahill, D., and P. Wilkinson. 2017. Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: An Interpretive Review of the Literature and Public Inquiry Reports. School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne. https://www.rmit.edu.au/content/dam/rmit/documents/news/church-abuse/child-sex-abuse-and-the-catholic-church.pdf
Canadian Ad Hoc Bishops’ Committee. 1992. From Pain to Hope: The 1992 Report from the Ad Hoc Committee of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops on Child Sexual Abuse. http://secure.cccb.ca/pubs/pdf/184-278.pdf
Chicago Report. 1992. The Cardinal’s Commission on Clerical Sexual Misconduct with Minors: The 1992 Report to Joseph Cardinal Bernadin, Archdiocese of Chicago. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/1992-06-BernardinReport/
Cloyne Report. 2011. The Irish Commission of Investigation: Report into the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne to the Irish Government. http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Cloyne-Rpt
Cumberlege Report. 2007. Safeguarding with Confidence: Keeping Children and Vulnerable Adults Safe in the Catholic Church. Report to the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales. http://www.csas.uk.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Safeguarding-with-Confidence-The-cumberlege-Commission-Report.pdf
Deetman Commission. 2011. Sexual Abuse of Minors in the Catholic Church: The Deetman Commission of Inquiry Report to the Catholic Bishops of the Netherlands. http://www.onderzoekrk.nl/eerste-onderzook/einropport.html
Ferns Report. 2005. The Francis Murphy Report to the Irish Minister for Health and Children into the Diocese of Ferns. https://archive.org/stream/243711-2-complete-ferns-report-so-ireland#page/n0/model/2hp
Groenhuijsen, M. 2014. Sexual Abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands. Paper delivered at workshop on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church sponsored by the International Institute for Sociology and the Law, Onati, Spain. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt16314q1
John Jay Report (John Jay Center College of Criminal Justice). 2004. The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States, 1950–2002 (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C.) A report presented to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by the John Jay Research Team. http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/The-Nature-and-Scope-of-Sexual-Abuse-of-Minors-by-Catholic-Priests-and-Deacons-in-the-United-States-1950-2002.pdf
—2011. The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States, 1950–2002. A report presented to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by the John Jay Research Team. http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/The-Causes-and-Context-of-Sexual-Abuse-of-Minors-by-Catholic-Priests-in-the-United-States-1950-2010.pdf
Keenan, M. 2012. Child Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church: Gender, Power and Organizational Culture. Oxford University Press, New York.
Mouton, R., T. Doyle, and M. Peterson. 1985. The Problem of Sexual Molestation by Roman Catholic Clergy: Meeting the Problem in a Comprehensive and Responsible Way. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/1985_06_09_Doyle_Manual/
Murphy Report. 2009. The 2009 Murphy Report into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PB09000504
National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People. 2004. A Report on the Crisis in the Catholic Church in the United States. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC.
Nolan Report. 2010. A Programme for Action: Final Report of the Independent Review on Child Protection in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. http://www.csas.uk.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/A-Programme-for-Action-2001.pdf
Restoring Trust Report. 1994. Restoring Trust Report: A Pastoral Response to Sexual Abuse: Volume One. U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Sexual Abuse, Washington, DC. http://bishop-accountability.org/reports/1994_11_NCCB_Restoring_Trust/
Rossetti, S. 1996. A Tragic Grace: The Catholic Church and Child Sexual Abuse. Liturgical Press, Minnesota.
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. 2017a. Final Report, Volume 16, Book 1. https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/final_report_-_volume_16_religious_institutions_book_1.pdf (accessed 8 May 2019).
—2017b. Final Report, Volume 16, Book 2. https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/final_report_-_volume__16religious_institutions_book_2.pdf (accessed 8 May 2019).
Ryan Report. 2009. The Ryan Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. Report to the Irish Minister for Health and Children. http://childabusecommission.ie/
Terry, K., and J. Freilich. 2012. Understanding Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Priests from a Situational Perspective. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 21(5): 437–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2012.693579
Winter Report. 1990. Report of the Archdiocesan Commission of Inquiry into the Sexual Abuse of Children by the Clergy. Report to the Archdiocese of St. John’s, Newfoundland (Chair: Hon. Gordon Winter). http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/cns_tools/TheReportoftheArchdiocesanCommissionofEnquiryConclusionsandRecommendations.pdf
Published
2019-06-25
Issue
Section
Articles
License
Equinox Publishing Ltd.
How to Cite
Cahill, D. (2019). The Impact of International Reports on the Australian Royal Commission’s Report into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse with Regard to the Catholic Church. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 31(3), 165-185. https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.37597
