Cover-up of Abuse Denied by Catholic Church's Former Standards Director John Davoren

By Michelle Harris
Newcastle Herald
October 14, 2014

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2624959/cover-up-of-abuse-denied/

Cover-up of abuse denied by Catholic Church's former standards director John Davoren

THE Catholic Church’s former professional standards director has defended a practice of withholding victims’ names when he reported clergy sex abuse allegations to police, telling an inquiry there was never any attempt at a ‘‘cover-up’’ or a conspiracy with the NSW Police Force.

John Davoren told the Police Integrity Commission on Tuesday that ‘‘police weren’t happy’’ about not being given victims’ identities.

But most complainants would have simply ‘‘got up and walked out’’ rather than raising abuse allegations with the Church if told their details might be later handed over to police.

He also couldn’t recall police telling him to alter the practice.

The procedure, described to the commission as ‘‘blind reporting’’, resembles arrangements set out in a draft memorandum of understanding between the Catholic Church and NSW Police, the terms of which lawyers had warned NSW Police would breach criminal laws.

But Mr Davoren told the commission he didn’t know if it was ever signed and put in place, as he ‘‘wasn’t interested’’ given he worked well with police officers involved in a Professional Standards Reference Group that the Church had established.

The commission is considering whether the memorandum effectively operated and whether there was any police misconduct involved in the arrangements, including whether police ‘‘condoned’’ or ‘‘encouraged’’ the Church withholding information that could have caught or convicted clergy child sex abusers.

It is also looking at the involvement of officers in the Professional Standards Reference Group between 1998 and 2005.

The commission has heard the blind reports would generally only be filed away by police as information reports and not formally investigated, with serial paedophile and Hunter priest Denis McAlinden one of those about whom blind reports were made.

Mr Davoren told the commission on Tuesday that he believed as director of professional standards everything that could be shared with police should be shared, subject to complainants advising the Church they did not wish to speak to police, and there should be ‘‘no attempt at covering up’’ abuse allegations.

He said some Church leaders had asked whether first-time offending priests should be given another chance.

‘‘To which I would say, ‘under no circumstances’,’’ Mr Davoren said.

He said he believed the Church would have to ‘‘close down’’ Towards Healing, a process established in response to child sexual abuse allegations, if complainants’ names had to be given to police.