Australian Catholic Church paid A$276m to abuse victims in Australia

The Australian Catholic Church has paid A$276m
 (£171m; $213m) to victims of sexual abuse since 1980, 
an inquiry has heard.

The money was divided between thousands of victims,
 the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to 
Child Sex Abuse was told.

The data, released on Thursday, showed the average
 payment was A$91,000.

The landmark royal commission was set up in 2013 
and is also investigating abuse at non-religious 
organisations.

The Catholic Church made the payments in response to 
3,066 of 4,445 child sexual abuse claims between 1980 
and 2015, the inquiry heard. More than 40% of claims 
were received by a handful of male orders.

They included compensation, treatment, legal and other 
costs, said Gail Furness, the lead lawyer assisting the commission in Sydney.

Numbers 'likely to be greater'

"The royal commission's experience is that many 
survivors face barriers which deter them from reporting 
abuse to authorities and to the institution in which the 
abuse occurred," Ms  Furness said.

"Accordingly, the total number of incidences of child 
sexual abuse in Catholic Church institutions in Australia 
is likely to be greater than the claims made."

The average delay between an alleged abuse and it 
being reported was 33 years, she said.

Earlier this month, the commission heard 7% of the 
nation's Catholic priests allegedly abused children 
between 1950 and 2010.

Reflecting on the findings, abuse survivor Andrew Collins
 told the ERICGOSSIP SPORTS it had been "drummed
 into his head" by the four men who abused him between 
the ages of seven and 14 - two teachers, a priest and a Catholic Brother - that he was the one who had
"done wrong".

"I did try to tell my mum once and she said it was
 absolute rubbish and a man of God would never do 
such a thing," he said.

Long-rerm inquiry

The commission has previously heard harrowing 
testimony from scores of people who suffered abuse at 
the hands of clergy.

One victim said he was sexually abused by his Catholic Christian Brother teacher in his classroom, with other
 students ordered to look away.

In another case, the inquiry heard allegations that a 
priest threatened a girl with a knife and made children 
kneel between his legs.

Australia's most senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, 
said last year the church had made "enormous mistakes"  
and"catastrophic" choices by refusing to believe abused children, shuffling abusive priests from parish to parish
 and over-relying on counselling of priests to solve the problem.

A royal commission is Australia's most powerful type 
of inquiry that is able to compel people to testify and recommend legislative changes and criminal charges.

It is also investigating other religious institutions and government and sporting organisations, among others.