Australian bishops gather in Vatican discuss ‘restoration of trust’

Light of Truth

A delegation of Catholic Bishops from Australia has gathered in the Vatican to discuss “restoration of trust” as the country’s most senior Catholic faces allegations of sexual abuse.

The Vatican disclosed the meeting in a statement released on October 7th. The delegation included Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisban, Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne, and Justice Neville Owen of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council.

That council is coordinating the church’s response to an Australian government inquiry into child sex abuse in various institutions.

The bishops’ delegation discussed “the relationship between the church and society at large, the restoration of trust, and greater participation of the laity in decision-making roles in the church,” the statement said.

Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s economy minister, attended a pre-trial court hearing in Melbourne on October 6th over allegations of historical sex offenses.

No details of the allegations have been made public. Cardinal Pell faces a committal hearing in March which will determine whether the case goes to trial.

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