Sydney, Australia, Nov 29, 2016 / 00:08 am
In Australia, the Catholic Church has established a new independent non-profit to protect children and vulnerable adults from abuse.
"Catholic bishops and religious leaders in Australia are determined to do all in their power to ensure that abuse, in any form, should never again occur in the Church," said a Nov. 22 FAQ on the new company. "The setting of consistent national standards and auditing compliance with them is a key element in this."
The creation of the non-profit company, Catholic Professional Standards Limited, was jointly announced by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia during the bishops' plenary meeting with religious leaders at Mary MacKillop Place in Sydney, the Diocese of Hobart reports.
The company will develop, audit, and report on professional protection standards across Catholic entities, with a special focus on areas that currently lack standards.