Ronald Mulkearns
| The Most Reverend Ronald Mulkearns | |
|---|---|
| 6th Roman Catholic Bishop of Ballarat | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Diocese | Ballarat |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 22 July 1956 (Priest) |
| Consecration | 1 May 1971 (Bishop) |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Ronald Austin Mulkearns |
| Born |
11 November 1930 Caulfield, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 3 April 2016 (aged 85) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholicism |
| Occupation | Roman Catholic bishop |
| Previous post | Titular Bishop of Cululi |
Ronald Austin Mulkearns (11 November 1930 – 3 April 2016) was the bishop emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ballarat in Ballarat, Australia, a diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Melbourne.[1] He resigned as bishop on 30 May 1997.[1]
In February 2016, Mulkearns apologised during videolink testimony to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse for failing to halt what he called a "problem with priests" – the widespread and long-lasting sexual abuse of children at Ballarat's Catholic schools during his term as bishop, including the notorious case of convicted child abuser Gerald Ridsdale.[2][3]
Mulkearns developed colorectal cancer toward the end of his life and died on 3 April 2016.[4] [5]He left nearly all of his estate, including a Fairhaven property valued at more than AUS$2 million, to the Diocese of Ballarat. The succeeding bishop of Ballarat Paul Bird announced in September 2016 that all profits from Mulkearn's estate would be given to victims of abuse.[6]
See also
References
- 1 2 "Bishop Ronald Austin Mulkearns". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ↑ "Bishop Ronald Mulkearns 'sorry' for sex abuse in Ballarat". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 February 2016.
- ↑ "Child abuse royal commission: Former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns apologises for his handling of abuse allegations". ABC. 25 February 2016.
- ↑ "Ronald Mulkearns, bishop accused of child sex abuse cover-up, dies". The Guardian. 4 April 2016.
- ↑ "Former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns dies". Jimboomba Times. 4 April 2016.
- ↑ "Abuse victims to benefit from estate of former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns". ABC. 6 September 2016.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James O'Collins |
6th Catholic Bishop of Ballarat 1971–1997 |
Succeeded by Peter Connors |