Bishop has much to answer on abuse

Former Ballarat bishop Ronald Mulkearns is set to give evidence to the child abuse royal commission about widespread clergy abuse while he was in charge.

BISHOP RONALD MULKEARNS HAS MUCH TO ANSWER BEFORE CHILD ABUSE ROYAL COMMISSION

RESPONSIBILITY IN BALLARAT

* Ballarat bishop from 1971 until 1997 retirement

* Had ultimate responsibility for Ballarat diocese, which covers western third of Victoria

WHAT MULKEARNS KNEW ABOUT ABUSE

* Knew about priest Gerald Ridsdale's offending in 1975; didn't suspend him until 1988

* Moved Ridsdale between parishes

* Destroyed psychologists' documents from Ridsdale's file

* Convicted priest Paul David Ryan, 67, says Mulkearns knew about him in 1977 and "buried his head in the sand" about sexual abuse in Ballarat diocese

WHAT MULKEARNS HAS SAID ABOUT HIS HANDLING OF ABUSE

* He received first complaint about Ridsdale in Inglewood in 1975; sent him for counselling - told Catholic Church Insurance investigator in 1993

* "Any time there was a complaint I asked him about it and took what, I thought at the time, was the appropriate action."

* "The problem is that we are dealing with the 70s and early 80s or late 70s in this case and the popular wisdom then was different as to how you treat these cases, I suppose. But there was never any case when he was simply moved from one place to another without anything else being done."