AUSTRALIA
7 News
[with video]
By Mike Hedge, AAP Updated April 13, 2012
Melbourne’s Catholic archbishop denies the church covered up sexual abuse by clergy, saying it has nothing to hide amid a possible coronial and wider inquiry.
A police report linking dozens of suicides to sexual abuse by clergymen will be passed on to the Victorian coroner for further investigation.
Senior police said the Catholic Church had a duty to report any allegations as soon as it became aware of them and in the past the church had often waited for victims to come forward to police.
But Archbishop Denis Hart said the church had fully cooperated with investigations.
“I reject absolutely the allegations that the Melbourne archdiocese has covered up crimes,” he told reporters on Friday.
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