Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne

The Archdiocese of Melbourne consists of 216 parishes. It is divided into four geographical regions.

The Archbishop of the Archdiocese decides the appointments of priests within the Archdiocese. The Archbishop has the authority to discipline a priest, including by withdrawing a priest’s authorisation to perform his priestly functions (clerical faculties) or by placing a priest on administrative leave, which effectively suspends the priest from his position.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne contained a high number of serial offenders. Most of these offenders have been prosecuted and sentenced in Victoria. They include Father Peter Searson, Father Frank Klep, Father Wilfred Baker, Father Ronald Pickering, Father Nazareno Fasciale, Father Terrence (“Terry”) Pidoto, Father Kevin O’Donnell, Father Desmond Gannon, and Father David Daniel.

Moody Law has represented in the past and is still representing clients who were victims of child sexual abuse within the Archdiocese. We invite anyone who has suffered any form of sexual abuse to contact us and to tell us confidentially what information they may have, and we will explain what options are available to help with these cases.

Call us or complete the confidential enquiry form below.