National: Health and Integrity in Church and Ministry

Health and Integrity in Church and Ministry is a conference focussed on an ecumenical conversation on the task of rebuilding and renewal after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Conference will take place at the Melbourne City Conference Centre, over three days, commencing 27 August.

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ACT Government agrees to all recommendations from child sex abuse royal commission

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has praised the bravery of child sexual abuse survivors for sparking sweeping protections for children through the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The ACT Government has officially adopted 290 recommendations from the royal commission, including creating a criminal offence for not reporting allegations revealed during confession.

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National Apology for Child Sexual Abuse Announced


The Prime Minister of Australia will deliver a national apology to victims of institutional child sex abuse on October 22nd, which marks the commencement of National Child Week. The Prime Minister says the government has accepted 104 of the 122 recommendations from the child sex abuse royal commission.

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Pope Francis names replacement for Australian archbishop who covered up abuse

Pope Francis has appointed Gregory O’Kelly, the bishop of Port Pirie, the special administrator of Adelaide following the conviction of Archbishop Philip Wilson for covering up child sex crimes during the 1970s.

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Catholic Church signs up to Redress Scheme for Child Abuse Victims

The Catholic Church has signed up to the federal government’s national redress scheme for survivors of child sexual abuse.

The scheme will take effect from July and requires the states and territories as well as non-government organisations such as churches and charities to opt into the scheme and agree to pay victims abused within their organisations up to $150,000 compensation.

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Buddhist group admits sexual abuse by teachers

One of the west’s largest Buddhist organisations has admitted to sexual abuse by its teachers, announcing it will take urgent measures to tackle the problem. Leaders of Shambhala International, which has more than 200 meditation centres across the world, including several in Australia, admitted to major failures in how it dealt with “abhorrent sexual behaviour”.

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An expert on faith-based abuse talks about how Buddhists can address sexual misconduct

Michael Salter is a criminologist specializing in gendered violence, child abuse, and mental health. He is also a lecturer in criminology and member of the Centre for Health Research at the University of Western Sydney in Australia. Ten years ago, he started researching the benefits of meditation for child abuse survivors, and, in doing so, found a personal connection to Buddhism. He says that Buddhism has provided him with the compassion and stability he needs to do his work as a criminologist. Dr Michael Salter was also involved in the recent Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

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Clerical Culture, Religious Organisations and the Royal Commission Report


University of Melbourne Chaplaincy and Religions for Peace Australia – Victoria Branch, conducted an extensive presentation into clerical culture and its effect on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) at Melbourne University on Tuesday 6th February 2018. The presentation was well attended.

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Appraising the Royal Commission Report into Sexual Abuse and Religious Organisations


University of Melbourne Chaplaincy and Religions for Peace Australia – Victoria Branch, invite you to attend a you to a FREE lecture on Tuesday 6th February 2018 on Appraising the Royal Commission Report into Sexual Abuse and Religious Organisations.

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Buddhism: How You Can Support a Victim of Clergy Sexual Misconduct

Clergy sexual misconduct is defined as sexual advances or propositions made by religious leaders to a person in the congregations they serve (who are not their spouses or significant others). Misconduct includes such actions as minor as a proposition, up to and including sexual intercourse. Buddhist sanghas are as prone to this kind of misconduct as any other religious community.

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After allegations, Sogyal Rinpoche retires from Rigpa

Following discussion of allegations of abuse, Sogyal Rinpoche, Buddhist teacher and author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, “has decided, with immediate effect, to retire as spiritual director from all the organizations that bear the name of Rigpa in different countries around the world,” according to a press release from the organization dated today.

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