Highest proportion of Catholic priests accused of child sex abuse were in Diocese of Sale

By Nicole Asher
ABC News
February 7, 2017

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-07/highest-proportion-of-priests-accused-of-child-sex-abuse-in-sale/8246928

More than 15 per cent of priests in the diocese between 1950 and 2010 were accused of sex abuse.

The Australian Catholic Church has confirmed more than $200,000 has been paid to victims of sex abuse perpetrated by priests ministering in the Diocese of Sale, in eastern Victoria.

The church has released data as part of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, showing the proportion of priests in the Sale Diocese accused of child sex crimes between 1950 and 2010 was double the national average.

In the 60 years to 2010, 15.1 per cent of priests in the Sale Diocese were accused of child sex abuse, compared to 7 per cent of priests nationally.

The Sale Diocese had the highest percentage of priests subject to abuse allegations in Australia, followed by the Diocese of Sandhurst, which includes Bendigo, with 14.7 per cent.

The abuse was most prevalent during the 1960s and 70s.

Twenty claims of child sexual abuse by 12 priests were recorded in the Sale Diocese during the six decades.

Catholic Bishop of Sale Pat O'Regan said the diocese had been working with victims, their advocates and lawyers to reach pastoral and financial agreements.

He said a professional standards officer had been appointed to work across parishes and schools.

"It's quite a historical experience at the moment," Bishop O'Regan said.

"It's not to say that there aren't other cases around … but the ones we're dealing with at the moment are from the 60s and 70s.

"I'm confident that we have things in place that will prevent things like this happening in the future."

Wayne Chamley, from advocacy group Broken Rites, said he was not surprised by the figures.

"We always believed the numbers were higher than had previously been reported in church documents," Dr Chamley said.

"Over the years I would be very surprised if there weren't cases where problem priests around Melbourne weren't moved out to these [regional] diocese, and that would have pushed up the incidents of paedophilia in those areas.

"A problem priest in a parish close to the archbishop would be moved around, and the better way to do it would be to move them to another dioceses and not tell the other bishop in charge about the person's record."