Australia: Catholic diocese defrocks 14 priests

he Archdiocese of Melbourne is defrocking every priest convicted of sexual offences against children, reports the Age.
Fourteen Roman Catholic priests in Australia's Melbourne diocese have been convicted in criminal courts of offenses against children. Three are dead, while four have  been defrocked and applications against another five are before the Vatican. Two more cases are being prepared for submission later this year.
 
Another priest, not convicted in court, has already been defrocked after being judged guilty of abuse by the church's independent commissioner.
 
The archdiocese has moved quickly in the past year. In April 2010 a spokesman said that despite the more than 300 allegations of abuse substantiated by the independent commissioner, only one priest had been defrocked.
 
The Catholic Church has been criticized for not acting in a speedy fashion to remove pedophile priests, but the Vicar-General of the Catholic diocese of Melbourne, Bishop Les Tomlinson, said it was only recently that changes to canon law allowed defrocking without their consent and without a trial.