Catholic priests' sexual abuses of children's record in Australia for the last six decades has been revealed. The report has dismayed members of the church as well as Vatican and the Pope.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse which was just founded in 2013 has already conducted 50 hearings since then and recorded around 7 percent of Australian Catholic priests, brothers, and sisters abuses of children between 1950 to 2015. The number only involved the identified while another 40 percent in some orders have been also accused of the same actions.
Humiliated and depressed by the report Francis Sullivan, a church official broke in tears. He said that the number of Catholic priests' sexual abuses is shocking, tragic, and indefensible. As sexual abuses on children are always accompanied with cover-ups, Sullivan said in terms of securing justice for the victims that the first thing in Australia is that the Catholic Church cannot investigate itself anymore, cannot attempt to resolve issues, complaints, and issues. That's why there should be an independent system needed away from the church.
According to CNN, the commission provides more evidence about the catholic priests, brothers, and sisters abuses on children not only in Australia but throughout nations having population mostly Catholics. Documented reports on widespread abuses are high for countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, United States, Ireland, and Brazil.
Both sexes have complained and the majority of ages were 11 and 14. Not only priests were the alleged perpetrators but also nuns, and other members of the Roman Catholic orders. In 2013 the Vatican established a commission that will investigate catholic priests' sexual abuse accusations. Church tribunal was also created by Pope Francis in 2015 to prosecute and judge bishops who failed to protect children against priests.
The Commissions finding was delivered by Senior Counsel Gail Furness on Monday. She said that catholic priests sexual abuses accounts were familiar. The victims were usually ignored and punished and the allegations were not investigated. The priests being accused were just reassigned to other places which are unaware of their past deeds. "Documents were not kept or they were destroyed. Secrecy prevailed as did cover-ups," she added. She said also that more than 1,000 Catholic institutions across Australia were identified related to sexual abuse, and a total of 1,880 alleged perpetrators between 1980 and 2015, as reported by BBC.
The 7 percent recorded by the commission is equivalent to 1,880 catholic priests, brothers, and sisters sexual abuses. For the victims, the number goes to 4,444. Since the criticism coming from other churches claimed to base on Bible passage that the true followers of Christ are known by their fruits, in defense, Catholic church said other churches around the world received also the same accusations.
