Royal commission and Ballarat clergy abuse

CLERGY ABUSE IN BALLARAT AND THE CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE ROYAL COMMISSION

BALLARAT PUBLIC HEARINGS

* Three-week sitting from Tuesday May 19

* Second hearing at later date

WHAT IT WILL HEAR

* From victims of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy and others associated with institutions run by the church including:

- St Joseph's Home, Ballarat

- St Alipius Primary School, Ballarat East

- St Alipius Parish, Ballarat East

- St Patrick's College, Ballarat

- St Patrick's Christian Brothers Boys Primary School, Ballarat

* From the Ballarat community

* The response by Catholic Church authorities

* From Catholic clergy convicted of child sex offences in Ballarat diocese

THE EXTENT OF ABUSE IN BALLARAT

* With Maitland-Newcastle in NSW, it's one of Australia's worst dioceses for clergy sex abuse

* One of the places where Australia's worst pedophile priest Father Gerald Francis Ridsdale offended

* The Christian Brothers say it was "an accident of history" that St Alipius' entire male teaching staff in early 1970s were child sex offenders

- Brother Robert Charles Best principal and grade six teacher

- Brother Edward Vernon Dowlan (name since changed to Ted Bales) taught grade five

- Brother Stephen Francis Farrell taught grade five

- Brother Gerald Leo Fitzgerald taught grade three

- Ridsdale was school chaplain

- All except Fitzgerald convicted pedophiles; Christian Brothers admit Fitzgerald (died 1987) also a pedophile

* A former Ballarat bishop has agreed church effectively facilitated abuse by putting known offender in positions that enabled him to continue his abuse.