Malta Independent

7% of Australian Catholic priests alleged to

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An inquiry examining institutio­nal sex abuse in Australia has heard 7% of the nation’s Catholic priests allegedly abused children between 1950 and 2010.

In one religious order, over 40% of church figures were accused of abuse.

Over 4,440 people claim to have been victims between 1980 and 2015, the Royal Commission into Institutio­nal Responses to Child Sex Abuse was told.

The commission, Australia’s highest form of inquiry, is also investigat­ing abuse at non-religious organisati­ons.

It has previously heard harrowing testimony from scores of people who suffered abuse at the hands of clergy.

One victim said he was sexually abused by his Catholic Christian Brother teacher in his classroom, with other students ordered to look away.

In another case, the inquiry heard allegation­s that a priest threatened a girl with a knife and made children kneel between his legs.

The full scale of the problem emerged yesterday, when the commission released the statistics it has gathered.

Gail Furness, the lead lawyer assisting the commission in Sydney, said more than 1,000 Catholic institutio­ns across Australia were identified in claims of sexual abuse, with a total of 1,880 alleged perpetrato­rs between 1980 and 2015.

The average age of the victims was 10.5 for girls and 11.5 for boys. On average, it took 33 years for each instance of abuse to be reported.

The victims’ stories were “depressing­ly similar”, Ms Furness

said.

“Children were ignored or worse, punished. Allegation­s were not investigat­ed. Priests and religious [figures] were moved. The parishes or communitie­s to which they were moved knew nothing of their past.”

Anthony and Chrissie Foster, the parents of two girls who were abused by their parish priest, said the Catholic Church had shown “no mercy, no remorse. Nothing.”

“For so long this has been the way they acted to hide perpetrato­rs, to move them on, with no regard for children whatsoever, that other children have become victims, and suffered this terrible fate,” they told ABC news.

The royal commission also detailed the number of abuse claims against 10 religious orders, with data showing that four orders had allegation­s of abuse against more than 20% of their members.

The royal commission, set up in 2013, is investigat­ing allegation­s of sexual and physical abuse across dozens of institutio­ns in Australia, including schools, sports clubs and religious organisati­ons. Ms Furness said yesterday that 60% of all survivors of abuse were from faith-based organisati­ons. Of those, nearly two-thirds concerned the Catholic Church.

Francis Sullivan, chief executive of the Truth Justice and Healing Council, which is co-ordinating the Catholic Church’s response to the inquiry, said the data reflected “a massive failure’’ by the church to protect children.

“These numbers are shocking, they are tragic and they are indefensib­le,” a tearful Mr Sullivan told the commission. “As Catholics, we hang our heads in shame.”

The Vatican has watched the proceeding­s closely. Cardinal George Pell, who was Australia’s most senior Catholic before becoming Pope Francis’ top financial adviser, has testified at previous hearings about how church authoritie­s responded to allegation­s of child sex abuse during his time in Australia.

Several senior Australian Catholics will be testifying over the next few weeks. The commission’s final report is due by the end of this year.

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Dancers eat lunch during a break from performing at the Virgin of Candelaria celebratio­ns in Puno, Peru on Sunday Photograph: AP
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