Pedophile Priest May Have Abused 80

By Dan Box
The Australian
August 15, 2012

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/pedophile-priest-may-have-abused-80/story-e6frg6nf-1226451281792

A CATHOLIC priest may have abused up to 80 young girls in a lifetime of assaults dating back to the 1950s, according to evidence collected by church officials who, for decades, failed to report the alleged offences to police.

Church records confirm the existence of about 20 alleged victims of the former priest, Denis McAlinden, and contain anecdotal evidence that there may have been up to 60 more.

The late John Toohey, then bishop of Maitland, in the NSW Hunter Valley, spoke to McAlinden about the allegations in 1956, but it is understood the diocese did not officially contact the police until 2003.

Other alleged victims -- from Western Australia, South Australia and NSW -- have recently contacted detectives investigating what police describe as "alleged cover-ups by current and former serving senior members of the Catholic Church" relating to McAlinden.