Grappling with Rome: David Marr's lessons from the royal commission

In the squalid history of the Catholic church’s part in the sexual abuse of children, the only law that really counted was the Vatican’s. As Australia’s massive public inquiry into the scandal delivers its final report, has that really changed?

When I grew up on the sheltered Protestant north shore of Sydney one of the givens about the Catholic church was that when push came to shove it would obey Rome rather than the law.

This was a time when the election of a Catholic president of the United States was widely considered impossible or at the least dangerous. Where would JFK’s loyalties lie in a crisis, to Washington or Rome?

Related: The Reckoning part one: the road to the royal commission – podcast | David Marr

Maybe I’m just an ordinary common lawyer, but we normally say things in simple words

It’s my experience that many of these orders are laws unto their own

Related: Sexual abuse survivors fear being 'deserted' after royal commission ends

Related: Why Australia's royal commission on child sexual abuse had to happen – explainer

The power of the church in parliaments is far greater than it is in the community

The Archdiocese of Melbourne has become more legalistic and more adversarial. They’re playing by lawyers

Related: Never again: can the royal commission help make our children safe?

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from Children | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2nTT0d7