The Priest Who Abused Girls at Confession - and How the Catholic Church Kept It Secret: Furious Families Demand the Truth about String of Child Sex Abuse Scandals

By Emily Crane
Daily Mail
August 11, 2014

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html

A secret Catholic Church report found an Australian parish priest had been internally investigated and found guilty of child sex abuse, despite no criminal charges ever being laid against him.

A report into a confidential investigation into Father Peter Searson of the Doveton parish, south east of Melbourne, in 1997 found he was guilty of the offences, ABC's Four Corners reports.

While Cardinal George Pell rejected a church cover-up of Father Searson's crimes when he gave evidence at last year's Victorian inquiry into child sex abuse, he did not make reference to the internal 1997 investigation or the finding that he had sexually abused children in his parish.


A report into a confidential investigation into Father Peter Searson of the Doveton parish, south east of Melbourne, in 1997 found he was guilty of child sex abuse offences

The revelation the church knew about Father Searson's abuse was found in a report by the Independent Commissioner into Sexual Abuse, Peter O'Callaghan.

He was appointed in 1997 by Cardinal Pell, who was Archbishop of Melbourne at the time, to look at allegations from teachers and parents regarding Father Searson.

Mr O'Callaghan's report revealed Father Searson had a track record of suspected sexual abuse even before he joined the Victorian parish in 1984.

It also detailed a number of complaints against the priest made to the Catholic Education Office by people at the Holy Family School in Doveton during the 13 years he was there.

When Father Searson died in 2009, 15 priests and a Bishop from the Melbourne Archdiocese gathered to pay their respects despite his behaviour with children

But the Melbourne Archdiocese never released these findings.

Former school principal Graeme Sleeman said he lost his career fighting the church to deal with Father Searson and claims the actions of the church went well beyond 'maladministration'.

'You could almost call it a fetish that he had about having children go to confession to him and they'd have to sit by him and kneel at him,' Mr Sleeman told Four Corners.

'They were the complaints that children brought to me about him and his behaviour... (one) particular day he had confession and this young girl came screaming out of the church and she was brought to me by her teacher and she was inconsolable. She had been interfered with by Searson in the confessional.'

Chrissie and Andrew Foster, whose two daughters were repeatedly raped by a priest in Oakleigh near Melbourne in the late '80s, successfully sued the Catholic Church for damage caused to their children

Cardinal George Pell, who was Archbishop of Melbourne at the time, poses with Katie Foster at her confirmation in September 1985. Katie was repeatedly raped by her priest Father Kevin O'Donnell in Oakley near Melbourne

Mr Sleeman resigned in 1986 to draw attention to what was happening but he said his letter of resignation was censored by a church official in the Catholic Education Office.

'I alleged that he had interfered with young girls at the school, and he had stolen money and that he terrorised young boys... he said I could not say that. I didn’t have the proof,' he said.

Carmel Rafferty arrived at the school as a teacher a year after Mr Sleeman left. She immediately became concerned about the actions of the parish priest.

'(The children) wanted protection from the priest…and I said what is your concern? "We don’t want to serve on the altar". So I asked them why they didn’t... and they said "it’s because of the way he touches us",' she said.

'It came to a head when the priest was going into the boys’ toilets several times a day and we more or less said that’s it, and the principal authorised the three year five-six teachers to go in a deputation to Pell at the time.'

Katie and Emma Foster were both sexually assaulted by Father O'Donnell Sacred Heart Church. Their parents say the actions of priests have lasting consequences on families, even though the church doesn't recognise it

Father Searson was eventually placed on administrative leave but he wasn't sacked by the church when the assault charges were laid.

Mr O'Callaghan’s report showed the priest had 'successfully appealed to the Congregation in Rome, which held that the Commission did not have appropriate jurisdiction or procedure to make the findings'.

Father Searson died in 2009.

He was the last of four priests who sexually abused children at Doveton Parish 25 years from 1972 to 1997.

The other offending priests were Father Thomas O’Keeffe, Father Wilfred Baker and Father Victor Rubeo.

Cardinal Pell blessed Emma Foster at her confirmation in 1993. Ms Foster took her own life in 2008

Chrissie and Andrew Foster, whose two daughters were repeatedly raped by a priest in Oakleigh near Melbourne in the late '80s, successfully sued the Catholic Church for damage caused to their children.

They say the actions of priests have lasting consequences on families, even though the church doesn't recognise it.

In 1999 Katie Foster, who had been drinking, was hit by a car, and remains profoundly disabled.

In 2008 Emma Foster took her own life.

When Father Searson died, the Fosters were on hand to take photos as 15 priests and a Bishop from the Melbourne Archdiocese gathered to pay their respects, despite his actions.

'The Royal Commission here, to do its job properly, needs all the documents associated with all the sexual assault complaints and all the priests that have carried those out in Australia,' Mr Foster said.

'And of course, the Catholic Church does not want us to see the whole picture, that's the whole problem.