Inquiry into Catholic Clergy in Australia's Abuse of Kids

By Rachel Morton
The 3news
June 2, 2013

http://www.3news.co.nz/Inquiry-into-Catholic-clergy-in-Australias-abuse-of-kids/tabid/417/articleID/300024/Default.aspx

[with video]

Melbourne's Catholic Church has released the names of 29 priests it acknowledges are guilty of child sex abuse.

It comes the same week as an inquiry heard there was a systematic cover up of child sexual abuse, which went on for decades.

Cardinal George Pell is Australia's most senior Catholic, and this week he fronted a Victorian inquiry into sex abuse, confessing to the sins of the Church. 

He says the systemic cover up allowed paedophile priests to prey on innocent children. He says the fear of scandal led to the cover up, but in some cases where the Church should have acted, it did.

Cardinal Pell was the last witness at the inquiry into sex abuse within the Church and non-governmental organisations. He spent four-and-a-half hours giving evidence, during which time he acknowledged the cover up went on for decades.

"I'm fully apologetic and absolutely sorry," he says.

But he refused to name or condemn the bishops and priests. 

"Pretty pathetic – he's not answering the questions," says one victim. "I heard what I expected today, and what I'm really sad about is I didn't hear anything that I didn't expect."

The Church has since released a list of 29 priests from Melbourne alone who committed sex crimes against children. It has the names of 30 others, but they won't be released. Some have since died; others weren't charged after police investigated the allegations against them.

The inquiry is expected to report back to State Parliament in September.