Delivering his annual synod charge address to members of the church, Bishop Stuart Robinson said the diocese was not immune from the commission's consideration of decades of clerical sexual abuse, and staff were examining records which dated back to the 1920s.

''I am currently expending around one-third of my energy on professional standards matters,'' Bishop Robinson said.

''My expectation is that the findings will shake the churches to their foundations.''

Describing acts of commission and omission on the part of members of the clergy and lay partners as shameful, he said abuse had caused damage and dysfunction to church congregants.

''When the abuse was committed, the innocence and joy of childhood was stolen,'' Bishop Robinson said.

''For so many, their lives have been inexplicably damaged and, as a diocese, we need to take responsibility for that."

Bishop Robinson, who has been the diocesan leader since in January 2009, said previous bishops and senior members of the clergy had acted on abuse allegations without clear guidelines and ''may have been out of their depth when confronted by allegations''.

The comments come as royal commission chairman Justice Peter McClellan told a conference in Brisbane on Friday that the full range of institutions in which sexual abuse occurred was not generally understood.

Bishop Robinson called on anyone aware of abuse within the Canberra-Goulburn diocese to report it. He said church leaders should offer apologies and continuing assistance to victims and their family members.

''Nothing we can do or say can ever give back what was taken from those precious children,'' he said.

''However, as a diocese, there are things we must do to address, in some form, the wrongs of the past.''

The royal commission was established by then prime minister Julia Gillard in November, after reports of decades of abuse and cover-up by members of religious and other non-government organisations.

The three-year commission attracted support from Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Sydney's Catholic archbishop, Cardinal George Pell.

Public hearings are under way and an interim report is expected to be presented to the federal government by June 30.

Bishop Robinson's address, delivered on the eve of the federal election, also addressed concerns about aged care and asylum seekers.

''A satisfactory solution to the asylum seeker issues seems further away than ever,'' Bishop Robinson said.

''It is a much vexed policy issue and, in my view, a satisfactory outcome will never be reached until Indonesia, I would venture to suggest, is part of the solution.''

As part of the annual synod, Bishop Robinson announced the appointment of Jeremy Halcrow as chief executive of Anglicare in Canberra and the NSW south and west.

Mr Halcrow will lead the 1000-person organisation after serving as director of communications and strategic partnerships.