Catholic Church under Fire over Response to Paedophile Revelations

ABC News
June 5, 2014

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-04/catholic-church-under-fire-over-response-to/5501158?section=nsw

[with video]

SARAH FERGUSON, PRESENTER: The Catholic Church is under fire over its weak response to revelations that its officials failed to act against paedophiles in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.

The Church has stood down two mid-level priests from minor bureaucratic roles, but is yet to act against two of its most senior clergymen, who were criticised in the report by the special commission of inquiry.

One of the priests who was singled out by the inquiry who's at the very top of the Church, we can't name.

The other is the general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Brian Lucas. Tonight, there are calls for his resignation.

Adam Harvey reports.

WILLIAM WRIGHT, BISHOP, DIOCESE OF MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE: As Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, I am profoundly sorry for the terrible hurt caused by the crimes of McAlinden and Fletcher and I have a deep and abiding regret that individuals in this diocese failed to protect the most vulnerable.

ADAM HARVEY, REPORTER: For decades, paedophile priests Dennis McAlinden and James Fletcher abused the children entrusted to them. There are believed to be more than 100 victims spread over 40 years. Some have killed themselves; many more are shells of themselves.

MARGARET CUNNEEN, SPECIAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY: Children are inherently vulnerable and innocent. The sexual abuse of children is abhorrent. It exploits their vulnerability, irreparably damages their innocence and casts a shadow over their whole lives.

DANIEL FEENAN: It's a grooming process. It's a dead-set disease. Heavily involved in the Church. It's something that I'll never forget.

ADAM HARVEY: Margaret Cunneen's inquiry revealed that right from the start, Catholic Church officials were aware of predators like McAlinden and could have stopped them, but didn't. Her findings prompted this apology yesterday from the Bishop of Newcastle.

WILLIAM WRIGHT: Various efforts that were made to do something about him were ineffective, to say the least, and were driven by a concern to prevent scandal, or if you like, to protect the Church's reputation. And the needs of the victims often ran very poor second to that.

ADAM HARVEY: The Cunneen report is scathing of past and present Church officials. Victims say the apology is not enough and those officials still in positions of power should be stood down.

One of James Fletcher's victims was Daniel Feenan. His abuse started in 1989, 13 years after the Church was first warned about the paedophile priest.

DANIEL FEENAN: And the findings showing that the Catholic Church knew about Fletcher in 1976, which was the year that I was actually born.

ADAM HARVEY: The Cunneen report has found a senior Church official knew of complaints about Fletcher, but did nothing about it. That official, who we can't name for legal reasons, was a friend of the Feenan family.

PAT FEENAN: I'm pretty devastated because that person, if it's who I think, knows us, was entertained at our home and I'm appalled to think, stayed silent.

DANIEL FEENAN: These guys were part of our family. And knowing that they potentially could have helped out by any type of intervention for any priest, not just Fletcher, would have been a remarkable thing.

PAT FEENAN: Early intervention would have stopped what happened to Daniel. And he has to live with that. And it was pretty hard to see it in black and white after the findings.

ADAM HARVEY: As a result of the Cunneen inquiry, that senior Church figure may face charges.

But there will be no charges against other Church officials criticised in the report. One of them is Father Brian Lucas. He's the general secretary of the Church's most important body, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

BRIAN LUCASE, GENERAL SECRETARY, ACBC (July 2013): I really can't engage with you in a question-and-answer session.

ADAM HARVEY: In the 1990s, Lucas was tasked with convincing paedophile priests to resign. In 1993, he elicited a confession from Denis McAlinden, but didn't take it to police.

PAT FEENAN: They relied on the fact of victims saying they didn't want to go to the police, but surely people like Father Brian Lucas had a responsibility to do something about it.

ADAM HARVEY: McAlinden died a free man in 2005.

Commissioner Margaret Cunneen found that Lucas should have gone to police.

MARGARET CUNNEEN (female voiceover): "The approach of the Diocese and Kucas in not reporting to police was motivated, at least in part, by a desire to avoid scandal being associated with the Church. This approach distorted what should have been the primary concern at all times - the protection of children who might be abused by McAlinden."

PETER GOGARTY: Lucas, as well as others, clearly knew about what Father Denis McAlinden was up to for a long, long time. Didn't do anything with that information other than to report it to the bishop, Leo Clarke. And deliberately, by his own evidence, deliberately did not take any notes, did not keep any report of his knowledge or interviews so that that information could not be used later on by police. So it's a fairly damning finding, really.

ANDREW MORRISON, AUST. LAWYERS ALLIANCE: I would have thought his position is untenable. He has had serious adverse findings made against him. He has failed, according to the commission of inquiry, in his duty of care to children, which it was his duty and the Church's duty to protect. He has no place, in my view, in any senior public office in the Church.

ADAM HARVEY: Father Lucas declined an interview with 7.30.

SARAH FERGUSON: Adam Harvey with that report.