A senior Catholic nun has apologised to victims of sexual abuse at St Joseph's Orphanage at Neerkol, near Rockhampton, during her testimony at a Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse hearing.

Hundreds of children were beaten, molested and raped at St Joseph's over three decades up until the late 1970s.

Sisters of Mercy Australia leader Berneice Loch finished her testimony this morning at the inquiry, which is investigating systemic abuse at the orphanage.

Sister Loch was a senior member of the Sisters of Mercy when allegations of abuse at the orphanage first came to light in the 1990s.

She now leads the order's Australian branch.

Under cross-examination this morning, Sister Loch apologised to the victims of abuse.

"I have been deeply moved this week and last week at the goodness of people who have come through very hard days – their goodness and courage," she said.

Sister Loch told the inquiry she now understood the long-term impacts of child sexual assault was not confined to the victim themselves.

"Reflecting on the responses made by me personally and by our congregation over the years since about 1993, I regret that I did not take steps earlier to learn more about abuse and its effects on people, and about possible responses," she said.

"I did the best I could at the time and with the knowledge I had, but my best fell a long way short of ideal.

"I think the Sisters of Mercy have tried to focus on the needs of those who were in our care as children and this has informed our thinking and guided our decisions, however imperfectly."

She said she hoped the Catholic Church would continue to acknowledge its past failings.

"It's the only way we can be the church we're called to be," she said.

"I am not sure it is possible to get this right since every individual has a different understanding of what is needed to set things right, but we can continue to work on it.

"I believe that it is important to focus on establishing good relationships as integral to any response that can set people free of memories that diminish and entrap them.

"Many victims speak of their wish to hear the word sorry and of their wish to ensure that other children will never suffer as they did.

"We can promise to work constantly towards the prevention of child abuse of any sort.

"[We] will continue to improve our processes for prevention of abuse where we can and for respectful interaction with those who have suffered where abuse still occurs."

Sister Loch had testified yesterday she objected to abuse allegations being raised in the Queensland Parliament by then-Nationals MP Kevin Lingard in 1996.

Mr Lingard's ministerial statement prompted hundreds of victims of rape and molestation to come forward, but Sister Loch told the inquiry the allegations were sensationalised in the media.

In September 1997, the Sisters of Mercy apologised to the former residents of the orphanage.

Some nuns 'embarrassed, upset' about the allegations

Di-Anne Rowan, who was a congressional leader with the Sisters of Mercy during the late 1990s, told the inquiry today she believed up to five of the nuns that allegedly perpetrated the abuse were still alive during the early 1990s when the allegations first became public.

 

Ms Rowan testified one of the nuns agreed to meet with a victim, but the others were reluctant.

She said their reluctance stemmed from anxiety that they would not remember the specific incidents.

"Their big concern was because the incidents had happened so many years ago they might not remember," she said.

"Most of what I discussed with them, they didn't remember, so they couldn't give specific details.

"They really were embarrassed about the allegations ... I think it did affect them very deeply and they were ashamed, embarrassed, upset."

Ms Rowan left the order in 2003.

The commission has also heard evidence about the sale of the Neerkol orphanage site.

The Sisters of Mercy sold the site for $1.43 million in 2000, to help fund compensation for the victims.