Cover-up Clerics Must Pay, Lawyer Says

By Alex White, Anne Wright
Courier Mail
October 11, 2012

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/cover-up-clerics-must-pay-lawyer-says/story-e6freon6-1226493960248

A LEADING victims' lawyer has urged police to take action against church figures they say have actively obstructed their investigations into sex abuse by priests.

Victims' advocate Bryan Keon-Cohen, QC, yesterday criticised police for failing to act after the force accused the Catholic Church of deliberately impeding investigations into child abuse.

The top QC said the report to a parliamentary inquiry - signed off by Chief Commissioner Ken Lay - raised questions as to why police had not acted earlier.

"Why have they not pursued this and why are they sitting on their hands?" he asked.

"It is very significant for police to say this, but have investigations been undertaken of church officials for aiding and abetting a paedophile?

"Not one report has been made to police from church officials, it is just staggering."

The comments came as outspoken Liberal MP Bernie Finn was criticised for "stupid, flippant remarks" in which he said he had not been sexually abused by Catholic priests like his classmates because he "was ugly".

Mr Finn recounted alleged abuse at the Catholic school he attended.

"It was happening to my classmates, I didn't know it at the time, perhaps it's one of the very few times I was happy that I was ugly," Mr Finn said.

"I didn't know that was going on at the time. If I had, I probably would have been a victim, so I regard myself in that circumstance as being very fortunate."

Opposition spokesman Martin Pakula slammed the comments as inappropriate.

The Catholic Church's submission to the inquiry admitted 620 complaints against Catholic clergy or staff had been upheld by its own investigations, but the police had not been notified of any cases.

Ian Lawther, the father of an 11-year-old boy who was sexually abused by a priest, said the church was appalling and he was happy the inquiry was being held.

"Having the inquiry has given a lot of victims vindication," he said.

"The Catholic Church has done immeasurable damage to my family and my son. This is the closest thing the Victorian Government has ever come to doing something."

Confidential police reports show abuse by Catholic clergy has led to the suicides of 40 victims.

Fifty submissions to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious or Other Organisations have been released, with public hearings to start next week.