Church must learn from its failures, Brisbane Archbishop tells Christmas congregation Archbishop Phillip Aspinall has told his congregation the safety of children is on his mind this Christmas, following revelations made by victims during the national royal commission into child abuse. Brisbane's Anglican Archbishop has used his public Christmas address to declare past failures of the church "must not be allowed to become the future." Archbishop Phillip Aspinall said the safety and protection of children were on his mind this Christmas, following revelations made by victims during the national royal commission into child abuse this year. The Archbishop penned an open letter to the church, which was read out at St John's Cathedral in Brisbane on Tuesday night. During 2013, he said, there had been "faith-shaking revelations of failures" within the church, and some had been left feeling cynical and sceptical of the institution. "One of the ongoing important benefits of the royal commission is that we can all better learn what needs to happen so that everything which is humanly possible is done to ensure past betrayals aren't repeated," he said. Australia's abuse survivors expect it and today and tomorrow's children deserve it. The best church communities can be places of great love, hope, peace and healing, without ignoring that some in our number have betrayed what our faith stands for. In his Christmas message, the Archbishop asked followers to keep their faith in God, even though there might be times when his presence wasn't felt. Sometimes it's confusing. But God's love and Jesus are real and more enduring than anything else," he said. Meanwhile, the head of the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, Archbishop Mark Coleridge, said the "true glory of God doesn't stay in heaven but touches the earth." The glorious love of Christmas is love with mud on its boots. That's the love to which we say yes each Christmas.