AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Eliza Borrello

The Catholic Church has acknowledged the number of priests identified by the child abuse royal commission is indefensible, and says it is working hard to make sure the abuse is never repeated.

But what does that mean for local parishes making changes to protect children into the future?

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, first announced by the Gillard government in 2012, is due to deliver its final report at the end of this year.

Already it has identified nearly 2,000 figures in the Catholic Church, including priests and brothers, as alleged perpetrators, something it has acknowledged as tragic and indefensible.

Like parishes across the country, St Anthony’s in the northern Perth suburb of Wanneroo was rocked by revelations from the royal commission.