AUSTRALIA
Northern Star
Mia Armitage | 7th Feb 2017
WEDNESDAY 4.30pm: NEARLY 14% of Lismore’s most experienced Catholic priests were accused of sexually abusing children by 2010 but the diocese’s spokesman, the Most Reverend Geoffrey Jarrett, has reserved comment.
Between 52 and 64 priests have served in the Diocese of Lismore in each decade since 1950, with 129 priests having served in the area by 2010, detailed data presented to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has shown.
Some 18 of those priests, or 13.9%, have been accused of sexually abusing children throughout their careers, marking Lismore as one of the nation’s top five worst dioceses for child sex accusations against the Church.
Too soon to comment: Diocese of Lismore
But Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese Bishop Jarrett, standing in while Bishop-elect Father Gregory Homeming prepares for his ordination, said it was too early to comment publicly on findings.
“My response is that we are in the early days of the Royal Commission’s present three week hearing, and until it completes its investigation, it would be premature to comment on the first release of statistics,” Bishop Jarrett said via email to The Northern Star.
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