AUSTRALIA
The Guardian
Ronald Mulkearns, who was bishop of Ballarat during some of the worst episodes of child sex abuse perpetuated by priests, has died aged 86.
Mulkearns, who had colon cancer, died on Monday morning, the Catholic diocese of Ballarat said.
The child abuse royal commission has heard that Mulkearns, who was bishop between 1971 and 1997, knew the paedophile priest Gerald Francis Ridsdale and others were sexually abusing children and moved them between parishes. He also destroyed documents in Ridsdale’s file, the commission heard.
One victim, Stephen Woods, who was abused as a child in Ballarat, said on Monday the church should not stage a high-profile funeral for Mulkearns.
“The most sensitive route for the Catholic church in Ballarat now is to have a very modest funeral, where it is recognised that the legacy of this man is one of trauma and devastation of individuals, of families and of communities,” Woods told Guardian Australia.
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