'Shocking' scale of Catholic Church child sex crimes revealed
7 February 2017 GMT
About seven percent of Catholic priests in Australia were accused of sexually abusing children between 1950 and 2010, but few allegations were investigated, an inquiry in Sydney has heard.
The scathing figures, released as hearings began on Monday over the allegations dating back decades, were compiled with the cooperation of the church as part of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
The commission, Australia’s highest level of inquiry, reported 4,444 alleged incidents of sexual abuse by Catholic priests between 1980 and 2015.’.................
'Dreadful crimes against children'
Joan Katherine Isaacs, an abuse survivor, called the data "gut-wrenching".
"There are just so many children who have been so damaged over tens of years because of the Catholic church, and because of the extent of their cover-ups," Isaacs told reporters outside the hearing.
"I just wanted to come to be witness to the exposure of these dreadful crimes against children."
Six of Australia's seven archbishops, and leaders of other Catholic orders, are being questioned by the commission for the final hearing.
The worst-offending institutions were the orders of brothers who often run schools and homes for the most vulnerable children.
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