Catholic Priest Goes to Police over Teacher Sex Claims

The Australian
August 4, 2012

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/catholic-priest-goes-to-police-over-teacher-sex-claims/story-e6frg6nf-1226442573236

A CATHOLIC priest has provided NSW Police with information about at least one Catholic school teacher that he believes to be guilty of sex crimes against Catholic schoolboys in Sydney's west in the 1990s.

Father Kevin Lee, who caused a storm in May when he revealed that despite having been a Catholic priest for 20 years he was secretly married, told The Weekend Australian that a victim of the teacher's crimes had come to him with information and he had "taken it to police this time because I'm tired of keeping secrets for the Catholic Church".

"In the past, I've taken information about priests to the church and they've ignored it, so this time, with the teacher, I've gone to police and I'm co-operating with police."

The church vehemently denies the allegation that it has engaged in a cover-up of any sex crimes by priests. The Bishop of Parramatta, Anthony Fisher, said in a statement: "When in the past Kevin raised with me concerns about particular priests these were thoroughly investigated.

"Like any organisation, on some occasions there is insufficient evidence to support the complaint made and sometimes the outcome of an investigation may not be evident to the complainant, but that doesn't mean that nothing has been done."

NSW Police said in a statement that it did not discuss ongoing criminal investigations.

The case is believed to concern a teacher who no longer teaches in a Catholic school, although parents have not formally been told why he was removed. The victim, who attended the school 15 years ago, is now a police officer.

Besides being parish priest at Glenmore Park in Sydney's west, Father Lee was until May a NSW police chaplain, and attended crime scenes and fatal accidents.

He revealed in a news broadcast in May that, despite the fact Catholic priests are meant to be single and stay celibate, he was married.

His wife, Josefina, was a Manila bar girl when they met in The Philippines, where she still lives, since she does not have a visa that would enable her to live permanently in Australia.

Father Lee tells The Weekend Australian Magazine today that there are other priests in the church who are sexually active. Bishop Fisher said the allegation that priests ignored their vow of celibacy "is a grave injustice to the great majority of priests who live holy, faithful, generous lives".

Father Lee -- who is still a priest, since the process of being defrocked involves input from Rome -- continues to give mass.