️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️  Australian actress Rachel Griffiths says she was <unk>quite elated<unk> when she heard a heritage-listed Catholic church in Melbourne, where horrific child abuse once took place, had been destroyed by fire. <unk> Australian actress Rachel Griffiths says she was <unk>quite elated<unk> when she heard a heritage-listed Catholic church in Melbourne, where horrific child abuse once took place, had been destroyed by fire. The Six Feet Under star revealed that like many of the church<unk>'s former parishioners she found it hard to even <unk>drive past<unk> St James church in Brighton, in Melbourne<unk>'s south-east.<unk> The Six Feet Under star revealed that like many of the church<unk>'s former parishioners she found it hard to even <unk>drive past<unk> St James church in Brighton, in Melbourne<unk>'s south-east. ️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️ Ms Griffiths told 774 ABC Melbourne the church was plagued by <unk> tragedy and complicated feelings<unk> and described it as being known locally as <unk> the haunted house on the hill<unk>. We've all attended many funerals of boys that we now know were abused by [Father Ronald] Pickering... and other perpetrators in the parish - at the actual church that it occurred in,<unk> she said. It's been hard for priests to really clean this parish, it's been very difficult to rebuild a community and we pretty much all scattered after the revelations came out and found other parishes.<unk> Ms Griffiths revealed she and other local Catholics had avoided being married in the church because of the sick crimes that historically took place inside it.<unk> Ms Griffiths revealed she and other local Catholics had avoided being married in the church because of the sick crimes that historically took place inside it.<unk> <unk> <unk> Australian actress Rachel Griffiths is happy that her former Melbourne church has been burned down because of its past links to a pedophile priest. ️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️ I think that's probably one thing that saved our family that so many of my friends' brothers got involved with,<unk>she said. Ronald Pickering molested boys between 1960 and 1980 while working as a priest in Melbourne.<unk> Ronald Pickering molested boys between 1960 and 1980 while working as a priest in Melbourne. We stopped going because he stopped my mother at the door.<unk>We stopped going because he stopped my mother at the door.<unk> ️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️ <unk> <unk> <unk> <unk>
Rachel Griffiths and her family used to be members of the church. - Rachel Griffiths and her family used to be members of the church. Like many locals they abandoned it when they learned of abuse history.<unk> <unk> <unk> <unk> <unk> 80 firefighters and 20 trucks were at the scene in south-east Melbourne (80 firefighters and 20 trucks were at the scene in south-east Melbourne) MFB crews were called to the scene of the blaze at 6.30am on Monday. St James Church was built in 1891 and is heritage-listed.<unk> St James Church was built in 1891 and is heritage-listed.