The Diocese of Tasmania plans to sell churches to pay redress to child-abuse survivors, and has extended the deadline for responses. The diocese, located in the island state to the south Australian mainland, originally set September as the deadline to complete consultations.
Bishop Richard Condie said the extension will allow more time for community groups to consider their options.
“We welcome community members’ input in our decisions around the sale of property, and are keen to receive their input,” Condie said.
The radical plan has prompted anger about the potential loss of historic church buildings. Some Anglicans are simply upset at the prospect of losing their spiritual home.
The state government of Tasmania announced in May that it was joining the National Redress Scheme, one of the key recommendations from a royal commission evaluating responses to sexual abuse.
Responses may be offered under two categories: proposals to retain a building as a church or to transfer ownership to a community group. Decisions are likely to be announced in December.
John Martin
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
