Abuse victims sent form letters: inquiry

Apologies sent to victims of pedophile priests from the Melbourne archbishop were identical form letters with just the names changed.

Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart said he was unable to know the confidential details of each case, so the letters he signed from 2001 to 2013 were general apologies.

"They are very, very similar at least. Some of them may be identical," Archbishop Hart told the child abuse royal commission on Tuesday.

Archbishop Hart said in the past year he had tried to get at least some minimal information about victims' cases so the letters could be more personal.

"It was never indicated to me that this was unhelpful. Had it been, I would have certainly acted sooner," he said.

Archbishop Hart said he wanted to make sure victims did not feel they were being "fobbed off" by the church.

The letters were sent as part of settlements under the Catholic Church's Melbourne Response, set up in 1996 to handle allegations of clergy sex abuse in the Melbourne archdiocese.