The Guardian reports:
Senior Anglican clergy shared a secret understanding of each other’s attraction to young boys, a royal commission has been told.
The inquiry into the Church of England Boys’ Society being held in Hobart heard evidence on Thursday from the convicted child sexual offender Louis Daniels, 68, a former archdeacon who was one of Tasmania’s top-four church leaders in the early 1990s.
…
Allegations against Daniels were first raised in 1981 by the mother of a 14-year-old Hobart boy who had been sexually propositioned. Then working as an assistant priest, Daniels had counselling at the instruction of the then bishop, Robert Davies, and was told to amend his behaviour.
He was allowed to keep working and was later promoted to roles including a position as head of the General Synod Youth Commission.
ABC (Australia) has Boys’ club ‘a sitting duck’ for child sexual abuse, Anglican ex-priest and paedophile says:
Ex-priest Louis Daniels, a convicted Tasmanian paedophile, was asked if he believed there was a culture that facilitated offending within CEBS. He said the nature of CEBS’s activities, including camps and tours with young boys, provided opportunity.
“A boys’ society, unless it is very carefully managed, is a sitting duck, isn’t it?” Daniels said.
He was also asked if there was a culture within the Anglican Church that encouraged offending. “I think there is. I’m not sure I can define it,” he said.
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Kyrie eleison. That’s all I’ve got, really.
[Besides all the best practices for safe-guarding children we have now. If you see something, say something! 9-1-1!]
The really disturbing side of this clergy abuse scandal that has rocked most every Christian denomination is that there are those who actually blame the youth. I heard on RC bishop say that some 14 year old boys seduced the priests. It was the teenagers fault and the priests should not be blamed.
However, +++John Paul II+++ when he heard of this abuse, was asked to absolve the Church of any wrong doing being reminded that God could forgive all sins. He replied: “Yes, God can forgive all sins, but I will not. These priest, whom we call Father, have taken the most precious gift of youth away, their innocence. These men took a vow to protect and keep safe those they were given charge of. Let the Church be responsible for their actions.” This opened the door for litigation that still has a profound affect on the institutions today.
My fear is that nothing has changed.