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Bishop says he suffered sexual abuse at hands of clergy

Vietnamese-Australian Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen of Parramatta tells inquiry he was an adult when abuse took place
Bishop says he suffered sexual abuse at hands of clergy

A protester holds a placard outside the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney in this March 1, 2016 file photo. Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen of Parramatta told the commission on Feb. 21 that he too was sexually abused at the hands of clergy.

Published: February 23, 2017 04:40 AM GMT
Updated: February 23, 2017 04:42 AM GMT

An Australian Catholic bishop has gone public for the first time about sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of clergy.

Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen of Parramatta talked about the abuse at a royal commission hearing in Sydney and called on the church to consider removing priests' honorifics and giving parishioners more power, The Guardian website reported.

"I was also a victim of sexual abuse by clergy when I first came to Australia, even though I was an adult," the former refugee told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Feb. 21.

"That had a powerful impact on me and how I want to … walk in the shoes of other victims and really endeavor to attain justice and dignity for them."

Bishop Long, the first Australian bishop of Vietnamese background, was applauded throughout his testimony. Child sexual abuse survivors and their loved ones approached him afterwards. Some cried as they spoke to him.

The bishop said titles, privileges and the church's institutional dynamics "breed clerical superiority and elitism."

He also said he had some degree of confidence that most of the survivors whose cases had been handled by Parramatta Diocese since his arrival were happy with how they had been treated.

"How can I look at these victims in the eyes and say I share your pain, I share your suffering without doing everything in my power to bring about justice, dignity and healing for them?" he said.

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