It behoves all Catholics and others to read these reports and inform themselves of the degree of criminal abuse that has been perpetrated on so many young people.

The severity of abuse must be acknowledged before appropriate recompense and assistance can and should be provided to those victims who are still alive. Sadly, many are not, having been unable to live with the results of that evil.

Victims and their families must be listened to and heard. There must be no further attempt by church authorities to cover up or try to downplay these atrocities. There are no excuses for this type of behaviour and none must be given.

Distressing as it is for everyone, one of the most upsetting things is the knowledge that these paedophiles were, after having had complaints made about their behaviour, moved from parish to parish thus enabling them to further abuse young, innocent victims, over and over again.

No excuses for this are acceptable. It's not enough to say the perpetrators were sent off for treatment. They were then allowed to return and reoffend.

The children in these situations, the victims, were also part of the flock and priority should have been given to their protection rather than giving second, third (just how many?) chances to the paedophiles.

Personally I believe Bishop Mulkearns should be required to answer charges of moving these paedophiles from place to place. Ill health is insufficient excuse.

If he feels any remorse at all he should be prepared to face up to the truth and, at the very least, apologise for his part in the continuation of abuse in his diocese.

Likewise Cardinal Pell should be required to return to Australia and face accusations that he was told about this abuse years before anything was done. Again, in my opinion, the statement that 'to the best of his belief the conversation did not happen' is a cop out.

Authoritative figures can't seem to remember but this is something victims can't forget. I believe David Risdale and other victims. They were not believed earlier, they need to be believed now. Cardinal Pell may well have had no idea of 'the extent of the abuse.' No excuse. We still don't know the full extent and probably never will, after all 'dead men (or women) can't speak' and many living victims are still unable to talk about such damaging incidents.

I was very disappointed to read Bishop Paul Bird was quoted in The Courier as saying to a victim that he, the victim, was, "intent on destroying the church", and that "in another 40 years or so, you people will all be dead and all this will be forgotten about."

I hope this is a misquote because I have always thought of Bishop Paul as a very good man who came into this role only recently from an order which was not involved, and this, if correctly quoted, is a callous, heartless statement.

Are we never to get it right?

Well done to all those with the courage to speak out. Catholics and others are proud of you and encourage you and those who have yet to speak, to continue to speak out and seek help and recompense.

May you and your families find strength in this Royal Commission and may others who have been abused find the strength to seek help.

These depraved acts do not represent Catholic teaching. They are the antithesis of the Catholic faith. They are the evil acts of individuals and should not be seen as representative of Catholicism even though they did occur in Catholic institutions.

We must never again try to protect 'The Church' at the expense of its members and must rid ourselves of this cancer.

We need to stand with the victims and ensure they receive whatever support they need, whatever the cost, to rebuild their lives and those of their families and to prevent further deaths as a result of crimes which have been committed against them.

Finally, for those mostly good priests, religious and lay people, the majority, this also is a difficult time.

Catholics are taught to love our neighbour, do good, care for the poor and homeless, feed the hungry, educate the children, look after the sick and live a life that is decent and moral and this is what the majority try to do.

Let us not fail to do this and let us not fail to help the victims of abuse.