Horsham, George Pell, Edenhope, child abuse, Catholic church, Royal Commission, church

Update Thursday: ​The vicar-general of the Catholic diocese overseeing the Wimmera says the conviction of Cardinal George Pell will have consequences for the organisation for years to come. Father Kevin Maloney's comments come after Pell was found guilty on five charges of child sexual abuse. The conviction was made public after a suppression order was lifted on Tuesday. Pell has vowed to appeal. Father Maloney said many Catholics in the diocese might feel confused and disarmed this week. "I think for a long time, the diocese is going to be looked at as being in a weakened position," he said. "The only thing that is going to temper that is us being consistent in our approach in the future, and I think it's going to be a generational thing." Nonetheless, Fr Maloney said he believed the diocese was on the right path to earning back the respect of the community. "We have increased our payments to fit in with the redress system," he said. "We're trying to not only comply with what we've been asked to do, but show initiative in that area and make contact with victims before legal proceedings are undertaken. "Forty years ago, parents didn't want to know if their kids had been abused, and so it was really quite different; whereas these days everyone is much more aware of the ramifications of abuse." The Wimmera is not immune from the impacts of child sex abuse within the Catholic church. Gerald Ridsdale, convicted of child sexual abuse and indecent assault against 65 children, worked as an administrator and a priest in Edenhope and Horsham. Former Bishop of Ballarat Ronald Mulkearns, who died in April 2016, admitted to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to moving paedophile priests between parishes to protect the church. Wednesday: A HORSHAM minister says the city's parishes want to create a sense of hope for the future. Simon Risson, speaking as a representative of the Horsham Christian Ministers Association, said abuse should not be hidden, and anyone who conducted such acts needed to face the course of justice. The Horsham Church of Christ ministry team leader said he personally felt that all churches needed to acknowledge the abuse that had come to light. He said each denomination had been "tarred with the same brush" as more and more light was shed on child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. "Twenty years ago, when the conversations and accusations began, I had friends and colleagues who looked at me and said, 'You're just part of that group'," he said. "That was a reminder for me that whatever happens in one church, people look at the church as a collective. "Whether that's fair or unfair is beside the point. We are the church, and we have not handled this very well. I would hope we are getting better." Mr Risson said it was vital bad behaviour was no longer tolerated. He said the systems and processes now in place for churches to follow would help people feel safe to have conversations about the issue. "A lot depends on the courage and humility of people leading our churches to be able to honour the systems; but more than that, being able to honour the people who come to them for help," he said. Mr Risson said he had many conversations with people who felt hurt and angry at the abuse. He said some parishioners - among them victims of abuse - had given him positive feedback for his approach in apologising and accepting responsibility for the actions of some in the Catholic Church. "He (Pell) has been found guilty, and we are not hiding behind that," he said. "We are incredibly sad and disappointed it has come to this, and hopefully people feel some sense of healing, because they have been hurt." Mr Risson has been a minister in Horsham for 17 years. He began his time with the Church of Christ in Ballarat, where he grew up. "I was not aware at all of what was happening until everyone else heard about it," he said.

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