Catholic Bishop of Lismore Admits during Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse He Failed to Report Cases to the Vatican

By Thomas Oriti
West Australian
December 19, 2013

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/20400448/catholic-bishop-of-lismore-admits-ignoring-directive-on-child-abuse-from-the-pope-at-royal-commission-into-child-sex-abuse/

A Catholic Bishop in northern New South Wales has admitted to a child abuse inquiry he did not abide by an instruction from the Pope for five years.

The Bishop of the Diocese of Lismore, Geoffrey Jarrett, has been recalled to give evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney.

In 2001, the Pope ordered Bishops around the world to report any allegations of child sexual abuse to the Vatican if there was a "semblance of truth" in the case.

Reverend Jarrett became a Bishop in the same year.

A complaint was made against Lismore priest Father Paul Rex Brown in 2002, but it was not referred to the Vatican at the time.

Reverend Jarrett has conceded he was not aware of the Pope's requirement until 2006, saying some directives "may not be remembered or acted upon".

"I don't think there was a great consciousness of this directive to submit to the Congregation these matters," he said, referring to the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome.

The Chair of the Commission, Justice Peter McClellan, has expressed his concern.

"In the context of the size of the problem, the publicity being given to it, and the Pope saying 'these must be reported to Rome', it didn't get through?" he asked the Bishop.

"You can understand my puzzlement about how such an apparently important matter wasn't front of mind," Justice McClellan said.

Reverend Jarrett was recalled in relation to the case of Jennifer Ingham, who was sexually abused by Father Brown between 1978 and 1982.

It was not until 2012 that Mrs Ingham contacted the Church's Professional Standards Office about the abuse, but she says she referred to matter to three separate priests as early as 1990.

One of the priests denies being told, and she says another told her to "go away" in 2006.

Father Brown died in 2005.

Inquiry shifts focus to Marist Brothers

The inquiry has turned its attention to the case of a man known only as DK, who says he was sexually abused by three Marist Brothers at a college in Cairns between 1976 and 1981.

When DK began his journey with Towards Healing, he was told a lawyer named Michael Salmon would be the mediator in his case.

DK says Catholic Church authorities assured him Mr Salmon was "independent".

DK says at some point after his session on March 30, 2010 in Brisbane, he saw Michael Salmon on television defending the Catholic Church.

Mr Salmon is employed by the Church as the Director of its New South Wales Professional Standards Office.

Brother Alexis Turton was the Director of Professional Standards for the Marist Brothers at the time of the DK case - a different position to Mr Salmon.

He has conceded that in hindsight, he would have "recommended a facilitator totally unconnected with the Church".

DK has denied being told about Michael Salmon's employment with the Church in a phone call on February 22, 2010.

Brother Turton says he is aware that under the Towards Healing protocol the Director of Professional Standards should not even participate in a session.

DK was paid $88 000 in compensation, but says he was yelled at during the session at by a Marist Brother who taught him three decades earlier.

He says he was also told he was "wasting time". "I don't call it Towards Healing, I call it Towards Hurting," he said.

The hearing continues.