Extent of Child Sex Abuse Scandal ‘will Shock, Confront,’ Community Warned

By Dan Box
The Australian
February 3, 2017

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A royal commission will reveal “horrific” figures next week detailing the extent of child abuse allegedly committed by Catholic officials, which “will shock and confront the community”, the church said.

The figures, collected by the church’s own Truth, Justice and Healing Council, will be released during one of the last public hearings conducted by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

“It will reveal a horrific picture of the extent of the claims of abuse by priests and brothers whose responsibility was to protect and care for children,’’ the council’s chief executive Francis Sullivan said.

“The data will shock and confront the community and will once again make plain the extent of the suffering, damage and loss victims of abuse have endured. It is absolutely important this information is made public. It is part of being transparent and ensuring the complete story is told.”

The three-week royal commission hearing will investigate what cultural and institutional factors within the church led to the abuse of children and its cover-up, which have caused worldwide scandals in recent years.