Left or right, Liberal or Labor, or go against the grain. But at the end of the day, if you live in Australia, you will be supporting one of those two.

When it comes to the abuse thousands of innocent children experienced at the hands of paedophile priests protected within the walls of the Catholic Church, there shouldn't be sides. There have been dozens of Catholic priests charged with sexual abuse.

Many more survivors have shared their stories, but chosen not to prosecute.

One of the most prolific paedophile priests was Gerald Ridsdale. There are now nearly 70 recorded child victims. Paul Levey was abused by Ridsdale on an almost daily basis when he was sent to live with the priest in the presbytery in Mortlake. He has shared his story in the book The Boy in the Presbytery.

His bravery has been applauded by many and led to other survivors coming forward.

The book and a number of inquiries and a Royal Commission have helped shine a light on the church's practice of protecting paedophile priests by moving them from parish to parish or sending them for "counselling".

When sentencing Ridsdale, Judge Gerard Mullaly pointed out the church's role in his years of offending. "The Catholic Church cannot escape criticism in view of its lack of action on complaints being made as to your conduct, the constant moving of you from parish to parish providing you with more opportunity for your predatory conduct, and its failures to show adequate compassion for a number of your victims," he said.

Despite the facts, there are some people who refuse to believe the offending priests were anything more than "a few bad eggs".

Books such as The Boy in the Presbytery are dubbed by some as a "Catholic Church bashing exercise", survivors such as Paul are questioned about why they took so long to come forward about the abuse and parents are asked why they trusted these men with their children.

If you weren't brought up Catholic, you may also have some of these questions. Paul, like all good Catholic boys, was taught to do what the priest told you. If that meant keeping your mouth shut because the priest told you to, you did.

Good Catholic families believed priests could help "get their children back on the straight and narrow".

Families who had priests to their homes on a regular basis were given an elevated status within their community.

On the question of whether the book was written to "bash the Catholic Church", it was not. There are many good, caring priests who have devoted their life to the church and helping others. The church has apologised to victims and vowed to ensure measures are put in place to ensure other children are not subject to sexual abuse. But survivors like Paul deserve to have the failings of the church in protecting him from the abuse acknowledged.

Paul was 12-years-old when his mother's friend, a nun, introduced the family to Ridsdale. He was a Catholic priest who was studying at the National Pastoral Institute in Melbourne. Paul's parents were going through some marriage troubles at the time.

Sister Genevieve, the nun who introduced Ridsdale to the family, mentioned he and his brother Peter Ridsdale were going camping at White Cliffs in New South Wales. She thought it might be a good idea for Paul and his mother Anne to go. There would be other children there for Paul to play with and it would be a good chance for Anne to clear her head.

The camping site didn't have a toilet block. That was in a town a short distance away. Peter would offer to take the boys to town with him so they could shower. This was fine with Paul. The boys had become mates and they would shower without incident. However, as Ridsdale built trust with the other adults, he started to offer to take one of the boys to town with him to "grab some bread and milk". He would slyly add the boy could shower while they were there.

No one batted an eyelid. Why would they? This was a man of God, someone who would help steer the boys onto the right path in life.

On one of those trips to town, Paul discovered Ridsdale had an evil plan. The two entered separate showers, but soon Ridsdale entered Paul's and abused the young boy for the first time. In the months after the camping trip, Ridsdale began to offer to take Paul for outings to give his parents a break. This was when the abuse would occur.

When it was revealed Paul had been wagging school because he was struggling to deal with the impacts of the abuse, Ridsdale used it to his advantage. He told Paul's parents he would take the misbehaving lad with him to his new post - as parish priest in Mortlake. Paul was forced to sleep in Ridsdale's bed and was abused on a usually daily basis.

Paul didn't know it at the time but Ridsdale was also abusing other children at the school. Anne decided she wanted Paul to return home.

Something about the whole thing didn't sit right with her. What she didn't know was that the first complaint about Ridsdale was made decades earlier.

Paul's abuse began in 1982, more than 20 years after a complaint was made by the parents of a boy in Ballarat, who told them he had been molested by Ridsdale. At the time he was told by Bishop James O'Collins "if that thing happens again, you'll be off to the missions".

Ridsdale was then moved on to Mildura, as he would be on many more occasions after a complaint was made.

Paul turned to alcohol to drown out the demons that haunted him day and night after he had escaped the grips of Ridsdale. He didn't tell a soul. He doesn't know whether he would have if Derryn Hinch had not exposed Ridsdale as a paedophile in the early '90s. The journalist called Ridsdale Australia's worst offender.

Paul's father Geoff watched on in horror and then rang his son, asking him if he had been abused. His fears were confirmed by Paul, who was then taken to the Sunbury Police Station by his father to report the abuse.

Years later, Paul is grateful he was in a way forced to share his story. He doesn't believe he would still be alive if he hadn't.

Sadly, countless other victims have taken their own lives.

Suicide rates in places where a parish priest has a history of sexual abuse can often mirror the rates of highly populated cities.

The rate of suicide in Ballarat, where many prolific offenders were sent to continue their reign of terror, has become an epidemic, according to a survivor. "I know at least half a dozen people who have committed suicide, let alone the premature deaths where people have drunk themselves to death. "It is not a ripple effect, it's an atomic bomb that has gone off in Ballarat."

Paul has good days and bad days and credits his partner Michele East with helping him through his darkest hours. "If the book leads to one survivor seeking help, it was worth it," Paul said.

The Boy in the Presbytery is available online at www.geniusbooks.com.au

A percentage of the profits will to to LOUD fence to support survivors.

If you or someone you know is experiencing an emotional crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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