Academic Claims Catholic Church Knew of 20 Cases of Sexual Abuse

Herald Scotland
March 9, 2013

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/letters-show-20-cases-of-sexual-abuse.20455540

THE Catholic Church in Scotland is facing further turmoil amid reports bishops knew of 20 allegations of child-sex abuse by priests between 1985 and 1995.

Academic Alan Draper was appointed to advise the Church on sexual abuse and how to respond to it in the mid-1990s.

He asked the country's eight bishops at the time to reveal how much they knew and reports claim responding letters referring to 20 accusations have surfaced.

Mr Draper is understood to have called for independent experts to investigate further, but the bishops disagreed.

He told the BBC: "I was very concerned about their unwillingness to actually expose individual priests who were leaving double lives. They were very reluctant to do that, and I felt that was totally inappropriate.

"Certainly, there's strong evidence to say some of the priests were out of control sexually, whether they be homosexual or heterosexual. The file should be made open to an independent group, preferably chaired by a judge."

The Church confirmed Mr Draper was involved in the development of its procedures at an early stage before being replaced.

The letters allegedly suggest some priests were reported to police and removed from parishes, while others were not.

It was also claimed another alleged victim claims he was forced to perform sexual acts on a priest in the 1990s.

The man, who has been named only as Chris, reportedly said: "He would get me to perform sexual acts on him and he would perform sexual acts on me.

"Away from the family home, in the family home, in the church, in their vehicle.

"There's many people out there who have been abused."

Police were said to have been made aware of Chris's claims last year, but the case never went to court.

The Church is said to have removed the priest from his parish and informed the police as soon as it was told of the claims "in complete accordance with the guidelines".

A spokesman added: "The Church sent its file to the Vatican in July last year and now awaits a decision."

Lawyer Cameron Fyfe added more alleged victims are coming forward in the wake of the Cardinal Keith O'Brien sex scandal. He said: "I'm acting for six clients who allege abuse, two of whom have come forward just in the last few weeks since the Keith O'Brien scandal.

"Some of them go back to the early 1980s, but two of them have been within the last 10 years."

Two of his clients claim to have been raped while they were children.

Under Scots law, cases should be brought within three years, but Mr Fyfe claims this is unrealistic given the nature of sexual abuse.

The Church in Scotland said it had applied nationally agreed guidelines on abuse since 1999.

A spokesman added: "All allegations are notified to the police. The Church recognises the statutory authorities are the responsible bodies for investigation. All necessary steps are taken to remove anyone in danger from situations of risk."

It also emerged Cardinal O'Brien, who has admitted sexual misconduct, was summoned to Rome as early as October last year to answer charges of sexual impropriety.

It was previously thought allegations of misconduct had not emerged until February 23, when a report described unwanted-sexual advances allegedly made by the cardinal against three serving priests and a then-seminarian in the 1980s.

The Catholic newspaper, The Tablet, reports that after a priest lodged an allegation with the Congregation for Bishops, the cardinal was asked to travel to Rome to answer the accusation.