Australia’s Sex Industry Has a Proud History in Exposing Child Sex Abuse in the Church
As George Pell unravels in front of the Royal Commission in Rome, it’s worth noting that the Eros Association was the first organisation in Australia to publish an official document indicting the church for its child sex abuse and the Australian Sex Party the first political party in Australia to call for a Royal Commission into child sex abuse. What made Eros’s booklet unique was that alongside a list of perpetrators was a commentary on why this had happened and what the political issues were surrounding the outbreak of priestly abuse. The booklet was called Hypocrites and 30,000 copies were circulated to politicians, priests and media. In the introduction to the book, authored in 2000, Eros also called for a Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse in the Church.
The full text of Hypocrites can be viewed here: http://www.deception.com.au/1990_2000.htm
In 2000 an ABC Four Corners program interviewed Fiona Patten and Robbie Swan who were running the Eros Association at the time. The program covered the publication of Hypocrites and the political issues in the federal parliament that caused it to come into being. It was the point from which the true extent of sex abuse in the church started to pour out over the next few years - leading up to the announcement by the Gillard government of a Royal Commission over a decade later.
The number of calls Eros received from this program was overwhelming and it was apparent that together, the Four Corners program and the Eros booklet had unleashed a wave of repressed anger and resentment for thousands of people and the floodgates were now well and truly open. Unfortunately it also unleashed a wave of resentment from church sympathizers and Eros received half a dozen serious death threats in the year following the publication.
Following the broadcast of the program, the Eros Association was also inundated by people seeking help to run cases against the church in the courts. One of the first people to contact the association was Chrissie Foster who had just had a meeting with Cardinal Pell about the sexual abuse of her children. She told Eros that as a result of that meeting, “Twenty years of faith just evaporated before my eyes”. Eros continued to communicate with the Fosters and other complainants for a few months after that.
Broken Rights carries on this admirable work today at http://www.brokenrites.org.au
In 2009, the Australian Sex Party was the first political party in Australia to call for a Royal Commission into child sex abuse in the church.
Below is an edited transcript from that part of the Four Corners program which featured George Pell. Prior to this segment, the then Eros President, Fiona Patten, outlined the political issues that lead to the development of Hypocrites.
Deliver Us From Evil - Four Corners ABC TV : 8/5/2000
Transcript: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/archives/2000a_Monday8May2000.htm
‘Four Corners examines how the censorship debate is becoming increasingly polarised as conservatives challenge liberals over moral standards.
Reporter Matt Brown analyses the forces and strategies used on both sides of the debate. He reveals an extraordinary new weapon which has been developed by one side to neutralise its opponents. It's an explosive tactic designed to shock and outrage.’
ABC’s MATT BROWN: For the Eros Foundation, the 11th-hour embarrassment of the Attorney-General has been a powerful lesson about the power of the church in moral conservatism.
EROS’ ROBBIE SWAN: I think it means that moral conservatives have learned the lessons of the church, about how to sell guilt and shame.They've learned how to make members of Parliament feel guilty and shameful about standing up for normal, adult sexuality -- and that's a real problem.
MOST REVEREND GEORGE PELL: The pornographers are philistines who are in it for a quick buck. They're going to oppose anybody who doesn't agree with them.
ABC’s MATT BROWN: The crushing of the Non-Violent Erotica plan incensed the sex industry, which had accepted it as their preferred option. The Eros Foundation has responded with an explosive tactic it's been considering for some time -- a smear campaign against the church.
EROS’ ROBBIE SWAN: It's time to take the gloves off and get serious with these people, and so they've asked me -- the sex industry -- Eros members have asked me to prepare a booklet now, based on the fact that the church has no moral authority anymore because of the huge numbers of children that they've sexually abused.
ABC’s MATT BROWN: The Eros booklet contains the names and circumstances of around 200 priests charged and convicted of sex offences.It's an unprecedented tactic in political debate and it's intended to damage the moral authority of the church.
MOST REVEREND GEORGE PELL: Those crimes have been committed -- we reject them. We have processes in place to deal with any more accusations that are founded on evidence. We'll face up to that.
EROS’ ROBBIE SWAN: It's a book aimed at politicians, it's a book aimed at the church itself, but also at members of the public. And at the end of the day I think we're looking at producing up to half a million copies of this booklet to circulate very, very widely and to show the church that there's a price to be paid for this kind of constant bashing.
MOST REVEREND GEORGE PELL: I think it shows how desperate they are. It's because their claims on the issue are so bankrupt, because their aims are so explicitly commercial. They don't care much for the people who are likely to get addicted to this. That's why they're running this anti-Christian line. And that little attempt at blackmail won't deter us one whit.”
Media enquiries:
Jorian Gardner, for Fiona Patten MLC: 0466 694 197
Rachel Payne, Eros Association 0410 852 784
Robbie Swan: 0413 871 604