Pedophile-linked Vic church attacked

Another Victorian church has been targeted by arsonists, with a church linked to a pedophile priest doused in petrol in a foiled attack.

More than half a dozen churches have been attacked by arsonists in the past 13 months, many of them Catholic churches linked to child-abusing priests.

The latest, St Bede's in Balwyn North, was connected to pedophile Terrence Pidoto, who served as an assistant priest in the early 1970s and was jailed for seven years in 2007 for abusing four boys.

St Bede's was broken into at 4.30am on Sunday and petrol was poured throughout before the would-be arsonist fled after an alarm sounded.

It still smells strongly of petrol but was spared from flames.

Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne spokesman Shane Healy said it was not clear if the intruder had acted alone.

"There was accelerant poured out and they were looking to start a fire but the alarm went off and security got there very quickly," he told AAP.

Police are investigating the break-in and the arson squad will determine whether it's linked to other suspicious church fires in the state.

The church only suffered minimal damage but services were relocated to a hall next door.

St Bede's is the latest in a series of church fires in the past year, with blazes in Bannockburn, Dandenong, Brighton and St Kilda East - all with historical links to pedophile priests.

The historic St James Catholic Church in Brighton was almost razed by fire in March last year, the same day as St Mary's in St Kilda East was damaged by a suspicious fire.

Two days later $250,000 damage was caused to St Mary's in Dandenong when a blaze was lit on the church's altar and in the storeroom.

All three churches were linked to the late Fr Kevin O'Donnell, one of Australia's worst pedophile priests who has been the subject of 56 child abuse complaints covering 1944 to 1990.

Pidoto died last November while awaiting trial for further offences, according to victims' advocacy group Broken Rites.