Catholic sexual abuse claims

THE recent headline-grabbing horror stories of Catholic priests sexually molesting boys and nuns prompts me to pen this comment.
The relevant government agencies along with the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea need to fully investigate their clergy in the country for historical and current abuses.
I believe there are hundreds of victims out there and they have to be identified so that the Catholic Church can compensate them accordingly.
The Catholic Church is notorious for hiding and covering the rape of boys by its clergy and now that the world is focusing on the matter, it is the right time for PNG victims to come forward.
They cannot live in denial because that will only give freedom to the offending priests. Victims are not coming out because of the shame it will bring on them and their families.
However, we need to find out and clear doubts and perceptions in peoples’ mind about the church and these accusations that happened all across the globe.
The recent imprisonment of disgraced child rapist Cardinal George Pell, of Sydney, should be a wake-up call for the church in PNG and prompt it to investigate to see if there have been historical abuses in the country and what actions the church is taking.
PNG is not immune to sexual abuses at the hands of priests, and the church cannot and must not sweep the issue under the carpet and forget about it.
We await the church’s response.

Jarra Kawage
Kundiawa