12 December 2017
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Assault released a scathing report on Wednesday, which condemned the church’s Ballarat diocese leaders, who were responsible for parishes across the region.
“That harm could have been avoided if the church had acted in the interests of children rather than in its own interests,” the report said. “It was only when there was a possibility that the sexual abuse of children by a priest would become widely known that any action was taken.
“Invariably, that action was to remove the priest from the community for a short period and then place him in another, more distant parish.
