A Catholic Church official has apologised after a priest told parishioners that had murdered Melbourne woman Jill Meagher's faith been stronger, she would have been "home in bed" and not walking down a street on the night she was brutally raped and killed.
The controversial homily was reportedly delivered during an end-of-term service at St Christopher's Primary School in Airport West on Friday when the priest held up a newspaper article with an image of Ms Meagher's killer, Adrian Bayley.
Radio station 3AW reported that the priest made the comments to an audience of about 100 people, saying that if Ms Meagher had been "more faith-filled", she "would have been home in bed" and "not walking down Sydney Road at 3am".
Bayley raped and killed Ms Meagher in a Brunswick laneway in September 2012. He was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 35 years.
Monsignor Greg Bennett, vicar-general of the archdiocese of Melbourne, confirmed the archdiocese was aware of the incident. He said the church did not support the "totally inappropriate" and offensive" comments made by the priest.
"I've spoken with the priest; he acknowledges that the homily wasn't appropriate and apologises for the offence and upset it has caused," he told 3AW.
"The reference to Jill Meagher in particular was offensive and inappropriate and the people of Victoria and Ireland mourn her sad and tragic death.
"We do not share the sentiment of the homily this morning and we certainly apologise for the hurt that this homily may have caused today."
The comments come a week after police suggested women should not walk alone in parks after Doncaster teenager Masa Vukotic was killed while walking near her home.
Carolyn Worth, manager of the South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault, said the priest's comments were "victim blaming in its most extreme form".
"This is about a violent, dangerous man who attacked somebody. It's not about what she was doing," she said.
"Women have a right to be able to walk in the street alone without being attacked by dangerous predators."
"It's offensive to all women, certainly to Jill Meagher's family. In some ways it's insulting to religious people too because it isn't about being out at 3am. [Masa Vukotic] was out at 7pm at a time lots of us would be out walking. You expect to be safe from being attacked at any of those times.
"To have someone suggest that the problem is that you don't believe in God enough is ignoring completely what actually happens when there are dangerous men out attacking people."
More details of Bayley's offending emerged on Thursday when the last of three secret rape trials returned a guilty verdict against him.
Two of his victims, a Dutch backpacker and a St Kilda sex worker were raped just months before Bayley murdered Ms Meagher. He was on parole at the time after serving eight years in jail for a string of rapes of sex workers in 2000. Bayley has more than 20 rape convictions.
In the weeks after Ms Meagher's death more than 30,000 people marched down Sydney Road in her memory and to raise awareness about violence against women.
Ms Meagher's family is reportedly preparting to launch legal action against the the State of Victoria.
Ms Meagher's husband Tom and her parents George and Edith McKeon are, according to News Corp Australia, joining a lawsuit with other relatives of people killed by criminals on parole.
