The children of priests searching for their fathers | Compass

Hidden Children - an explosive investigation into the hundreds of previously hidden children now using DNA, and their voices, to claim that their biological fathers are in fact priests. Subscribe: https://ab.co/3yqPOZ5 Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-13/children-catholic-priests-search-truth-justice-secrets/102706050 It’s a secret the Catholic Church has been desperate to hide for decades. Suzanne Smith, the journalist who helped bring about the royal commission into Institutional responses to child sexual abuse, follows one man in particular. Brendan Watkins is the son of a priest and nun. It took him 30 years to find his biological parents because of the obstacles that were put in place along the way. Then he discovered he wasn’t the only child treated this way. There are hundreds more. In this special investigation by Compass, we follow Brendan’s journey, and probe deeper, airing the stories of those hidden children and their mothers, who‘ve suffered from the Church’s silence and denial. ABC News In-depth takes you deeper on the big stories, with long-form journalism from Four Corners, Foreign Correspondent, Australian Story, Planet America and more, and explainers from ABC News Video Lab. Watch more ABC News content ad-free on ABC iview: https://ab.co/2OB7Mk1 For more from ABC News, click here: https://ab.co/2kxYCZY Get breaking news and livestreams from our ABC News channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/NewsOnABC Like ABC News on Facebook: http://facebook.com/abcnews.au Follow ABC News on Instagram: http://instagram.com/abcnews_au Follow ABC News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abcnews Note: In most cases, our captions are auto-generated. #ABCNewsIndepth #ABCNewsAustralia