FATHER Joe Duffy admits he feels embarrassed by the extent of the abuse which has been revealed in the Catholic Church.

 The Maroochydore Parish Priest was ordained during the dark period of history when priests were abusing children and getting away with it.

 But he said if he was to blame for anything within the church in the 1950s to 1980s, it was that he was "naive and unaware" of what was going on.

 "I grew up in a decent, good family and child abuse just wasn't talked about," he said.

 "I had no personal experience of this type of thing and in the 1950s, it was either a taboo topic or wasn't mentioned.

"We can't excuse ourselves on that basis any more than we can excuse ourselves for buying a ticket on a plane that crashed."

 He believed many others within the church leadership were in the same position.

"Even in the seminary and training back in the 1950s, homosexuality and pedophilia were bundled into one thing. The whole nation was naive," he said.

 "Australian Catholic Bishops seemed to be so naïve, they obviously all grew up in sheltered families and had no idea of the damage that was being done

 "Their main concern was to protect the institution which was being compromised (by the abuse), as it turned out the result has been the opposite."

 He also wished Cardinal George Pell would be able to travel from Rome to face the Royal Commission in person, instead of via video link.

 But he believed his contribution would be as valuable

 "I believe his contribution can be as valuable done by video link as if he were present," he said.

 "My preference would have been for him found a way to get to the Royal Commission.

 "On other hand , if believes he can't, he is still being available and that's good."

 Father Duffy said the church had the protocols in place to ensure this kind of travesty didn't happen again.

  "There is no excuse for anyone to feel any longer he or she won't be listened to or properly cared for. But prior to this time it was pretty much ad hoc," he said.

 He said while he felt embarrassed about what happened, he had to look forward.

 "There is no use going around feeling miserable, we need to be an agent of positive change," he said.

 "I don't believe burying or ignoring it, but encouraging and supporting people to talk about what happened.

 "Soon after the Royal Commission (into institutionalised abuse) started, we started a group who wanted to get together and talk about it.

 "We quickly realised we didn't have the competence to manage something of this order, which is why I am so grateful the Royal Commission was set up.

 "It was taken off our desk to be looked after by competent people.

 "Ultimately there will be a report and its results will be disturbing, but we have to face reality."

 He supported the "Loud Fence" initiative at St Mary's Church in Buderim by parishioners.

 "The Royal Commission alerted us to the seriousness of the abuse, we are now aware of thousands of victims.

 "Anything that says to them we do care is a good project." 

He had no idea how many people living on the Sunshine Coast were victims of abuse.

 "It is something we need to be sensitive about. This gesture of the Loud Fence is one way of saying 'we don't know who you are, we want to you to know we care".