Canberra: An inquiry examining institutional sex abuse in Australia has heard 7 percent of the nation’s Catholic priests allegedly abused children between 1950 and 2010.

In one religious order, more than 40 percent of church figures were accused of abuse, reports BBC.

More than 4,440 people claim to have been victims between 1980 and 2015, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse was told.

The commission, Australia’s highest form of inquiry, is also investigating abuse at non-religious organizations.

It has previously heard harrowing testimony from scores of people who suffered abuse at the hands of clergy.

The average age of victims was 10.5 for girls and 11.5 for boys.

One victim said he was sexually abused by his Catholic Christian Brother teacher in his classroom, with other students ordered to look away.

In another case, the inquiry heard allegations that a priest threatened a girl with a knife and made children kneel between his legs.

The full scale of the problem emerged on February 6, when the commission released the statistics it has gathered.

Gail Furness, the lead lawyer assisting the commission in Sydney, said more than 1,000 Catholic institutions across Australia were identified in claims of sexual abuse, with a total of 1,880 alleged perpetrators between 1980 and 2015.

On average, it took 33 years for each instance of abuse to be reported.

The royal commission also detailed the number of abuse claims against 10 religious orders, with data showing that four orders had allegations of abuse against more than 20 percent of their members.

The royal commission, set up in 2013, is investigating allegations of sexual and physical abuse across dozens of institutions in Australia, including schools, sports clubs and religious organizations.

Francis Sullivan, chief executive of the Truth Justice and Healing Council, which is coordinating the Catholic Church’s response to the inquiry, said the data reflected “a massive failure” by the Church to protect children.

“These numbers are shocking, they are tragic and they are indefensible,” a tearful Sullivan told the commission. “As Catholics, we hang our heads in shame.”

The Vatican has watched the proceedings closely. Cardinal George Pell, who was Australia’s most senior Catholic before becoming Pope Francis’ top financial adviser, has testified at previous hearings about how church authorities responded to allegations of child sex abuse during his time in Australia.

Several senior Australian Catholics will be testifying over the next few weeks. The commission’s final report is due by the end of this year.