Melbourne Sex Abuse Priest Mato Krizanac Returns to Church in Bosnian Parish
By Cameron Houston and Chris Vedelago
A Catholic priest expelled from the Melbourne diocese for sexual abuse has been allowed to resume his duties in an overseas parish despite an explicit warning from Archbishop Denis Hart to the church hierarchy in Bosnia. The decision to assign Father Mato Krizanac to a parish in Bosnia raises further questions about the church's resolve to clamp down on clerical sex offenders and dismantle its entrenched culture of protecting abusers. Father Krizanac, who spent more than a decade at the Croatian Catholic Church in Clifton Hill, was permanently stripped of all clerical duties in June by Archbishop Hart following a 12-month investigation into claims he abused an Adelaide girl in the mid-1980s. But The Sunday Age can reveal that Father Krizanac immediately returned to a clerical role in Bosnia with the apparent permission of the Archbishop of Sarajevo, who ignored the damning findings of the church's independent commissioner in Melbourne, Peter O'Callaghan, QC. Less than a month after being placed on permanent administrative leave in Melbourne, Father Krizanac celebrated Mass alongside senior Bosnian priests, including a local bishop and a Croatian army chaplain. It is understood that the 60-year-old's position in the parish in Croatia became untenable only when local media republished a Fairfax Media report about his sexual misconduct in mid-August. "Krizanac has suddenly vanished as [the] story hit Bosnia," a source close to Krizanac said. "Bosnian TV [is reporting] that Father Krizanac was removed from the parish in Bosnia after the articles were published in The Age and a number of Bosnian and Croatian newspapers." The location of Father Krizanac is currently unknown. A spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne said the Archbishop of Vrhbosna, Sarajevo was now responsible for the actions of Father Krizanac. "Archbishop Hart is serious about addressing these issues and acted immediately to withdraw the faculties and place Father Krizanac on administrative leave when allegations came to his attention and he informed the Archbishop of Vrhbosna, Sarajevo of his concerns," the spokesman said. In a letter to Clifton Hill parishioners announcing Father Krizanac's removal, Archbishop Hart had reaffirmed the church hierarchy's commitment to "ensuring the protection of all children". "When the outcome was conveyed to Father Krizanac, he took the decision to return to Bosnia. I have had numerous communications with His Eminence, Vinko Cardinal Puljic, Archbishop of Vrhbosna, Sarajevo, to insure he was fully informed of the allegations, the process of the investigation and the findings," Archbishop Hart said in the letter. The Sunday Age understands the allegations involved the sexual abuse of the underage daughter of a Croatian volunteer at an Adelaide church in the mid-1980s. "When Krizanac was replaced, the new priest was told by the aunt and did nothing," a source close to Krizanac said. "In the end, when other cases of child abuse started piling up, the aunt finally succeeded in convincing the girl to report the abuse." The church referred the allegations to South Australia police in April 2013, one month before placing Father Krizanac on "administrative leave" pending the outcome of the independent investigation. No criminal charges have been filed because the alleged victim has refused to assist police. The Adelaide-based victim received an ex gratia payment, which the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne insisted did not involve a binding confidentiality clause. Contact: chouston@theage.com.au
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