Please sign if you agree with the following letter:

We are sorry.

As ordinary members of the Catholic Church in Australia, we say sorry to anyone who has been abused as a result of contact with our church.   We have faced the difficult task of acknowledging the immensity of the harm exposed by the Royal Commission into Institutional Abuse, and can see that we have contributed to that harm by our ignorance and silence. We strongly agree with the Commission’s finding that our church must make urgent and comprehensive changes and we pledge ourselves to supporting that task.

We cannot claim to fully understand the pain, suffering and hurt you have experienced, but we do know that it will have affected so many aspects of your life and sense of who you are. We have learned by listening to some of you about how bad it has been, and what we have learned has changed us too.  The abuse stole from you the person you might have been and forever changed you. Sadly, you were often blamed for that change. But we also know that the fact you have survived means that you are strong, courageous and resilient: you are people we can all look up to.

We understand that it is not enough to improve our knowledge of abuse, or write words of apology. We also pledge ourselves to actively oppose abuse wherever we find it and to welcome and support victims and survivors in whatever way fits with their needs. We promise to work towards a church that is transparent, safe and welcoming, with openness of heart to all.

Sincerely,                 

the members of Concerned Catholics Wollongong

and like-minded people everywhere.