Brothers "Can't Accept Pedophile's Guilt"
By Patrick Caruana
Many Christian brothers refuse to accept that one of their ranks is guilty of the child sex crimes for which he was convicted, a Victorian inquiry has been told. Members of the order also lack sympathy for sex abuse victims, Christian brother and researcher Dr Barry Coldrey told the parliamentary inquiry into sexual abuse within religious organisations. Dr Coldrey said some brothers had not accepted that Robert Best, who was convicted over the abuse of 11 boys over a 20-year period, was a pedophile. "Even at this moment there are many brothers who refuse to believe that Robert Best is guilty," he told the inquiry in Melbourne on Friday. He said some would still visit Best in prison. Best was in 2011 found guilty of 21 charges, including the rape of a nine-year-old disabled boy, and later pleaded guilty to a further six. All 27 charges related to 11 boys he taught at St Alipius primary school in Ballarat, St Leo's College in Box Hill, and St Joseph's College in Geelong between 1969 and 1988. Dr Coldrey told the inquiry that the order had little sympathy for victims of sexual abuse. "At the moment, the mood is sullen, angry and certainly little sympathy is expressed for victims," he said. "No one ever won an election in the Christian Brothers by expressing sympathy for victims." Dr Coldrey said his concerns that a convicted pedophile was working at Monash University's Mannix College were ignored by senior clergy members, including Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart. Residences at the college were rented out to non-university students for four months of the year. "Everybody who had a say took the cover-up option," Dr Coldrey said. "Denis (Hart) took the cover-up option." Dr Coldrey said he was not sure if the man was still working at the college under an assumed name. The inquiry resumes in Melbourne on Monday. Br Brian Brandon, the executive officer for professional standards for Christian Brothers Oceania, rejected that there was little sympathy within the Christian Brothers ranks for sex abuse victims. In a statement, Br Brandon said he met regularly with victims and Mr Coldrey was out of touch with reality and his statements were unsubstantiated. Br Brandon said the Christian Brothers expressed care and concern for victims. He also offered an apology on behalf of the Christian Brothers to Archbishop Denis Hart for comments made about him by Mr Coldrey, who testified that senior clergy members including Archbishop Hart, ignored concerns that a convicted pedophile was working at Monash University's Mannix College. Archbishop Denis Hart said the allegation raised by Br Coldrey was false. "I emphatically reject his allegation that I have been involved in a cover up of a suspected paedophile at Mannix College, Monash University or that there was any cover up," he said in a statement. "These untrue claims unfairly malign all the hard working staff at Mannix College." Archbishop Hart said Br Coldrey was a part-time volunteer at Mannix College for a number of years until the end of 2010. He said while he was volunteering at Mannix College, Br Coldrey alleged there may have been a paedophile working at the college but the allegation was shown to have no substance. He said all Mannix College staff hold a current Working With Children Check. Archbishop Hart said he looked forward to his opportunity to appear before the inquiry.
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