Bishop's "Shame" at Rockhampton Orphanage Abuse
By Miranda Forster
A retired Catholic bishop who was slow to act on child sexual abuse allegations against members of his clergy says he feels shamed by what happened to abuse victims. Bishop Brian Heenan told a royal commission on Monday he felt a "terrible sense of shame and disgrace" over what happened to former residents of the Neerkol orphanage, near Rockhampton. Former orphanage residents last week told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse of the physical, sexual and psychological abuse they suffered at the hands of nuns and priests before the orphanage closed in 1978. Bishop Heenan was the head of the local Catholic diocese in the 1990s when abuse victims came forward. He publicly dismissed the allegations as "scurrilous" and allowed the priest at the centre of the claims to continue working in the church, including alongside children, for several years. Bishop Heenan later formally apologised to abuse victims. He told the commission that hearing the former residents' stories again had reinforced to him their "dreadful" experience. "My heart goes out to you ... and I just hope and pray that the experience for you this week has brought you some relief." Last week, the retired bishop admitted to failing to protect children from pedophile priest Reginald Durham. He also admitted his initial response to child sexual abuse allegations at Neerkol had been inadequate and motivated by a desire to protect the church's reputation. The public hearing in Rockhampton is expected to conclude this week.
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