Broken Rites

Broken Rites is an organisation that is dedicated to exposing and denouncing cases in the Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Australia.

The association has detailed 71 cases where Catholic priests have been convicted and jailed for child sex offences in Australia. It has also worked on other cases involving non custodial sentences and inconclusive proceedings.

During Pope Benedict XVI's 2008 visit to Australia, Broken Rites welcomed the pontiff's apology for the abuse affairs, but expressed disappointment that the he had not made his apology directly to sexual abuse victims and criticized the selection of the victims as having been hand-picked to be cooperative. ''I'm afraid that what they've done is selected victims who have agreed with what the Church's policies are. The Pope should have met with Anthony Foster, the father of two girls abused by a priest, who cut short a holiday in Britain to return to Australia in the hope of meeting the pontiff.''