Priest celibacy should be voluntary, says child abuse report
A five-year inquiry into institutional child abuse in Australia has delivered its findings

An Australian royal commission examining institutional responses to child abuse has suggested that the Catholic Church’s insistence on celibacy among priests has contributed to sexual assaults on children.
The report also called for “religious ministers, out-of-home care workers, childcare workers, registered psychologists and school counsellors [to be] obliged by law to report sexual abuse”, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The five-year inquiry concluded earlier today with the delivery of a 21-volume report containing 400 recommendations for government and organisations about how to prevent abuse.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“Tens of thousands of children have been sexually abused in many Australian institutions,” the report said. “We will never know the true number.”
Led by Justice Peter McClellan, the commission found that 61.8% of child abuse survivors reported that the abuse took place in institutions managed by the Catholic Church, and recommended to the Vatican that it should make celibacy for priests voluntary.
“While celibacy for clergy was not a direct cause of abuse, it elevated the risk when compulsorily celibate male clergy or religious figures had privileged access to children,” The Guardian reports.
Since the inquiry began in 2013, 2,559 allegations had been referred to police and 230 prosecutions for alleged child abuse have begun.
The Anglican Church received 1,115 complaints of abuse, and Jehovah’s Witnesses have been accused of covering up 1,000 alleged abusers.
Archbishop Denis Hart, the president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, issued an “unconditional” apology, saying: “This is a shameful past, in which a prevailing culture of secrecy and self-protection led to unnecessary suffering for many victims and their families.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How will Wall Street react to the Trump-Powell showdown?
Today's Big Question 'Market turmoil' seems likely
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Google ruled a monopoly over ad tech dominance
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the ruling as a 'landmark victory in the ongoing fight to stop Google from monopolizing the digital public square'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador's CECOT prison becomes Washington's go-to destination
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Republicans and Democrats alike are clamoring for access to the Trump administration's extrajudicial deportation camp — for very different reasons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK