Activity Report December 2014

Activity Report December 2014

The Truth Justice and Healing Council is coordinating the Catholic Church’s response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse with a commitment to justice and compassion for survivors.

Since its establishment by the leadership of the Catholic Church in Australia in January 2013, the Council has worked hard to deliver on its key roles of:

• representing the Catholic Church before the Royal Commission

• putting in place a reform agenda for the Catholic Church to ensure, as far as possible, the abuse of the past never happens again and survivors of abuse within the Church are treated fairly and with compassion, and

• being the public voice of the Church in the community discourse about child sexual abuse.

Purpose of this report

This report describes the activities of the Council over the past two years to December 2014 as it has driven the Church’s reform agenda and led the Church in its response to the Royal Commission.

It records our engagement with the Royal Commission, our development of the Church’s position in the public policy debate, our work with survivors and their representatives and our role as the public voice of the Church.

The report also records some of the key concerns and issues the Council has become increasingly aware of as it has gone about the business of connecting with the thousands of people who have been involved with and affected by the child sexual abuse crisis within the Church.

Using the information and understandings gathered over the past two years and reflected in this report, the Council will continue to develop the Church’s reform agenda.

Read the Activity Report here