Bishop of Wollongong, Brian Mascord, has echoed the Vatican's position of reserving judgement about Cardinal George Pell until his appeals process has concluded.
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Cardinal Pell was convicted of sexually abusing two teenage boys in the 1990's.
"I understand that Cardinal Pell has announced that he will appeal the conviction," the bishop said.
"Therefore, as the legal process is not complete, it would be inappropriate for me to make any comment other than to say that I hope that the outcome will be marked by truth, justice, healing and transparency.
"I join with the Australian bishops in praying for all those who have been abused and their loved ones, as we commit ourselves anew to doing everything possible to ensure that the Church is a safe place for all, especially the young and the vulnerable."
The bishop said "concrete actions" need to become part of the Catholic church's response to allegations of abuse.
"The recent meeting in Rome is a step in the right direction … however, I think (it) is part of a longer journey," he said.
"We hosted a conference in the diocese where 600 people came together to listen to one of the Vatican’s leading experts on the safeguarding of children and vulnerable people, Fr Hans Zollner SJ.
"That really brought home to me, once again, that concrete actions (on child protection) must become part of our DNA."
The bishop said the Wollongong diocese, which covers the Macarthur region, Illawarra, South Coast and Southern Highlands, was "resolute" in its response to allegations of abuse.
"We have rigorous processes in place for dealing with complaints of abuse, and we give full cooperation to all police investigations and child protection authorities," he said.
"(We) have implemented a new training and education program that requires each person in positions of leadership within the diocese to undertake a minimum of 10 units of training per year in child protection and professional standards.
"Some of these training modules have included sessions presented by survivors of abuse … to ensure that their voices are heard."
Bishop Mascord said other actions the diocese had taken were a new child protection manual and a professional supervision program for clergy.
"We will be also publishing an annual report on data relating to the work of the diocese’s Office of Professional Standards and Safeguarding, including investigations undertaken, safeguarding initiatives, and identified trends and patterns," he said.
"We realise that we can never be complacent, and we need to continue our efforts to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable people."
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