Notorious pedophile priest convicted again, The Shame of the Church

Notorious pedophile priest convicted again  8 Apr 2014

More than half a century after he started sexually abusing the sons and daughters of his parishioners, Australia's worst pedophile priest has learnt he is likely to die in jail.

Gerald Francis Ridsdale, 79, was given an eight-year sentence after pleading guilty to 30 new charges against 14 boys and girls between 1961 and 1980, conduct described by the judge as "evil hypocrisy."

But the notorious pedophile, already serving time for a campaign of abuse dating back to 1961 when he was ordained, will not be eligible for parole until April 2019.

The protection of the Catholic church, which moved him from parish to parish throughout his career, meant his offending spanned three decades.

He abused 53 children in that time.

They included children of parishioners, wards of the state, altar servers, twin brothers and a girl as young as four-years-old.

It wasn't until 1993 that he was de-frocked.

Two years later, he was jailed for 18 years....

Ridsdale portrayed himself as the "friendly priest", luring his victims with inducements such as lollies and money to gain their trust.

He befriended victims and set up an after-school boys gathering, which was the setting for crimes against five children.

Many of Ridsdale's victims were extremely vulnerable - some being wards of the state or from broken homes....

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/04/08/notorious-pedophile-priest-convicted-again 


The Shame of the Church
By Retro Report March 30th, 2014

Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has been making headlines for years. Some priests have been punished, but what about the bishops who shielded them?
http://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000002794204/the-shame-of-the-church.html