GOUGH Whitlam wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI in October, 2012,
nearly four decades after his government granted formal diplomatic
recognition to the Vatican, and only weeks before another Labor prime
minister, Julia Gillard, established a royal commission that would
expose the extent of child sexual abuse within the Australian Catholic
Church.
Diplomatic relations with the Vatican from 1973 was a “memorable and significant initiative” of his government, Whitlam told the Pope. The relationship was one “which has always been maintained with deep mutual respect and consideration”.
http://www.esperanceexpress.com.au/story/4492365/gough-whitlam-and-how-australia-facilitated-a-child-sexual-abuse-crisis/?cs=4092
Diplomatic relations with the Vatican from 1973 was a “memorable and significant initiative” of his government, Whitlam told the Pope. The relationship was one “which has always been maintained with deep mutual respect and consideration”.
http://www.esperanceexpress.com.au/story/4492365/gough-whitlam-and-how-australia-facilitated-a-child-sexual-abuse-crisis/?cs=4092