AUSTRALIA
The Guardian
December 5, 2017
By Melissa Davey
Ballarat’s Ronald Mulkearns knew or strongly suspected paedophile priest was sexually abusing children and did nothing, report says
Children were sexually abused over many decades by notorious paedophile priests within the diocese of Ballarat largely because the bishop at the time, Ronald Mulkearns, had little concern for children, deliberately left them in danger, and failed to investigate or report offenders to police.
This was a key finding from a report on Catholic church authorities in Ballarat published by the child sex abuse royal commission on Wednesday. The report is the result of public hearings held in three parts in 2015 and 2016 in Ballarat and Sydney.
The hearings examined the response of the congregation of Christian Brothers in the St Patrick’s province of Ballarat and the Catholic diocese of Ballarat to complaints and allegations of child sexual abuse by Christian brothers, clergy and other religious staff.
“There is no doubt from the many documents which are in evidence that, at various times, Bishop Mulkearns, the bishop of Ballarat, knew or strongly suspected that these priests had sexually abused children in the diocese,” the report said.
“His concern was overwhelmingly about protecting the reputation of the church and avoiding scandal. There was little evidence that he was concerned to protect children from these priests.”
Mulkearns died last year aged 85. He managed the diocese from 1971 and during a time when numerous notorious paedophiles, including Gerald Ridsdale, Robert Best and Edward Dowlan, were found to have been abusing children. Australia’s most notorious paedophile, Ridsdale, has been convicted of sexually abusing 65 children, although his victims are believed to run into the hundreds.
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