An independent inquiry into dozens of suicides among victims of child
sexual abuse by Catholic priests and brothers in Victoria would achieve
little, a Catholic bishop says.
Police investigating the case of convicted pedophile
Brother Robert Best believe at least 26 victims of sexual abuse at
schools in which he taught have committed suicide.
One of the investigating officers wants a parliamentary inquiry to investigate the deaths.
"If it helps the victims I'd be more than happy for it to go ahead," Bishop of Ballarat Peter Connors told AAP.
"I don't think they'll learn very much more ... I'm convinced we've done the best we can in more recent years."
Best, who taught at schools throughout Victoria,
including Ballarat, will be sentenced on Monday after pleading guilty to
27 charges of abusing 11 boys between 1969 and 1988.
Best was principal at St Alipius primary school in
Ballarat at the same time convicted serial pedophile and priest Gerald
Ridsdale was the school chaplain.
But Bishop Connors on Tuesday said not even revelations
from Detective Sergeant Kevin Carson that 26 young men had killed
themselves after being abused by priests and brothers in Ballarat
convinced him that more would be learnt from an inquiry.
"I think we've learnt a lot of things about what is
appropriate behaviour and what's not appropriate behaviour," Bishop
Connors said.
"I think people are very well informed nowadays as to what's inappropriate approaches from a male."
While conceding the abuse of children was wrong, he said
that in the past it had not always been clear to everyone what was
appropriate and inappropriate behaviour.
"In the past a lot of ignorance was there on the part of
lots of people. Parents didn't understand, sometimes bishops didn't
understand. We have no excuse now."
As to whether there was an excuse when Ridsdale and Best were abusing boys, Bishop Connors said he did not know.
Among the charges laid against Best in Victoria's County
Court last month were details of him raping a nine-year-old boy in his
office.
The court heard that after Best raped him, the boy thought he was going to die and blacked out.
Bishop Connors said in the past 14 years he had spoken to
more than 30 victims of Ridsdale and other priests in the Ballarat
diocese.
But he said none had told him they were also abused by Best.
"I can't remember them saying they were victims of Brother Best as well," he said.
The bishop said he had no reason to meet Best's victims "because he being a Christian Brother, I'm not responsible for him."
Yet he conceded that some of Ridsdale's victims he had
met could also have been abused by Best, because they were both there at
the same time.
Bishop Connors says the church has paid some victims far
more than the $70,000 the Archdiocese of Melbourne says should be paid
for the worst cases of child assault.
Others have been paid less but overall victims had received "a considerable amount".
He is now waiting to see if any of those victims will
come forward in two civil compensation cases set to be mounted against
Best and whether the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat will be named in the
actions.