The Catholic Church in Victoria today admitted that it had upheld 620 cases of criminal child abuse by clergy in the past 16 years.
Most of the cases were before 1990, some dating back to the 1930s, the church said in a statement about its submission to the parliamentary inquiry into the handling of child abuse by churches and non-government organisations.
As the church has earlier said it had upheld some 330 cases via the Melbourne Response protocol it launched in 1996, this suggests that the other Victorian dioceses of Ballarat, Sale and Sandhurst (Bendigo) have upheld nearly 300 complaints. This figure has not been released before.
Submissions to the inquiry close today, and public hearings are expected to begin early next month.
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The four Victorian dioceses have combined to make one submission, titled Facing the Truth, signed by Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart, Ballarat Bishop Peter Connors, Sale Bishop Christopher Prowse and Sandhurst Bishop Les Tomlinson, plus the state and national heads of Catholic Religious Orders, Sister Helen Toohey and Sister Annette Cunliffe respectively.
Melbourne clergy were briefed by church spokesmen at a meeting in Melbourne this afternoon.
In the statement today, the bishops say they will co-operate fully with the inquiry and that they have been open about the horrific abuse in Victoria and elsewhere. They say they will waive for the inquiry any confidentiality requirements victims may have signed.
"In our submission we discuss the church's commitment to caring for children, the failures of the church and the developments in society's and the church's understanding of the pernicious nature of paedophilia," the bishops say.
"The submission shows how the church of today is committed to facing up to the truth and to not disguising, diminishing or avoiding the actions of those who have betrayed a sacred trust."
They say Melbourne was the first archdiocese in the world to use a response with an independent investigation, ongoing counselling and support, plus compensation ? the Melbourne Response.
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