SOUTH AFRICA
Mail & Guardian
Johannesburg, South Africa
09 November 2005 10:11
Cape Town's Catholic archbishop received a verbal lashing from Camps Bay church members for not reporting a paedophilic priest to police, the Cape Times website reported on Wednesday.
It said Archbishop Lawrence Henry apologised to his critics at a meeting on Tuesday night, saying he did not tell police because he did not know he was required to report it.
Former parish priest Patrick Thornton made a confession of sexual abuse in January 2004. In September this year, he was convicted of indecently assaulting teenage boys more than a decade ago.
Henry said: "It was a first for me. "I'm sorry about the non-action and the slow process of the protocol. If this happens again, we will deal with these things expeditiously."