Top Priest Keeps Silent over Clashing Accounts of Child Sex Admissions

By James Robertson, Leesha Mckenny
Moree Champion
July 7, 2012

http://www.moreechampion.com.au/news/national/national/general/top-priest-keeps-silent-over-clashing-accounts-of-child-sex-admissions/2616543.aspx

ARMIDALE'S second-most senior priest is refusing to explain why he has given two conflicting accounts of a meeting he attended in 1992 during which a priest admitted to a series of child sexual offences.

When approached twice by the Herald in Armidale yesterday, Father Wayne Peters, the vicar-general of the diocese, refused to say why he denied to ABC's Four Corners program in writing that the priest, Father F., had admitted the offences.

After a two-hour meeting with Armidale's Bishop Michael Kennedy yesterday, Father Peters would only say: ''My bishop has made a statement and no doubt will make further statements shortly.''

Bishop Kennedy, who has said the matter would be investigated, also refused to answer questions from the Herald.

Father Peters told Four Corners he recalled the meeting with Father F., who cannot be named for legal reasons, but denied that Father F. had admitted his sexual offences. He told the program in writing his report at the time to Bishop Kevin Manning contained only ''instances of misconduct''.

''[Father F.] deliberately would not give any details or say anything that would incriminate him or amount to an admission in the legal sense,'' he said.

This is contrary to a letter he wrote to Bishop Manning eight days after the 1992 meeting, during which he said Father F. had ''wished to make certain admissions'' about five boys aged 10 or 11 he had ''sexually interfered with'' between 1982 and 1984 while an assistant priest in Moree.

The letter said in two cases Father F. admitted he had ''fondled the genitals of each of these boys and to quote 'sucked off their dicks','' monthly for 12 months.

Father F. stayed in public ministry, moving from Moree to Parramatta until further reports of sexual assault prompted the 1992 meeting with the three senior priests.''

The letter had not come to light before Sydney's Archbishop, Cardinal George Pell, told the ABC a ''file note'' of the meeting showed Father F. had made ''no admissions'', which was consistent with the recollections of the three priests who had interviewed him.