THE Bishop of Sandhurst Les Tomlinson said he was sorry and distressed wide-spread child abuse occurred in the Catholic church.
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"We recognise the hurt victims suffered," he said.
Bishop Tomlinson said the church had introduced procedures to address allegations of child abuse.
"In the first instance, victims are urged to contact the police," he said.
"Where an allegation is sustained, financial compensation and counselling is provided.
"Reality is it can be a challenge to find effective ways to heal people who have been hurt in this way."
The state government's eagerly awaited report on clergy child sex abuse, which was released Wednesday, suggests sweeping changes to laws behind which the Catholic church sheltered itself.
The Betrayal of Trust report accuses leaders of the Catholic church of trivialising the problem as a ‘‘short-term embarrassment’’.
The report calls to establish a new crime for people in authority who knowingly put a child at risk, and to make it a crime not to report suspected child abuse or to leave a child at risk, which apparently includes what priests hear in the confessional.
Other recommendations include the exclusion of child abuse from the statute of limitations, and for an independent government-monitored authority to replace the present church systems which deal with victims in-house.
Launching the report in State Parliament, inquiry chairwoman Georgie Crozier spoke of children suffering ‘‘unimaginable harm’’.
Ms Crozier said children and parents were deceived by trusted figures in organisations of high standing and parents.
‘‘Parents experienced a betrayal beyond comprehension, and the community was betrayed by the failure of organisations to protect children in their care," she said.
Ms Crozier said the inquiry had been significant and historic.
With The Age
