Former Catholic Bishop Ronald Mulkearns Called to Front Abuse Royal Commission
By Shannon Deery
THE ex-Catholic bishop of Ballarat who oversaw decades of child sexual abuse will be forced to testify at the child abuse Royal Commission despite his ill health. In a much-anticipated announcement the Royal Commission announced today Fr Ronald Mulkearns would give evidence at hearings set to return to Ballarat from November 23. His appearance could unlock decades of secrets from the former bishop who has remained tight-lipped about his handling of child sexual abuse complaints. Critics say he turned a blind eye to sexual abuse complaints, shuffling priests around the large diocese, but not reporting any of them to police. A string of priests under his charge have since been jailed for heinous crimes against children. Among them, Gerald Ridsdale, one of Victoria’s most notorious paedophiles who has admitted molesting hundreds of children. Fr Mulkearns will join Cardinal George Pell, who worked closely alongside Bishop Mulkearns in Ballarat for almost a decade, who has flagged he will also be attending the hearings in person. During his time as Bishop of Ballarat, between 1971 and 1997, hundreds of children were molested by notorious paedophiles including Ridsdale, Ted Dowlan, and Robert Best. Father Mulkearns did not appear at a state parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse, citing ill-health. The Herald Sun understands his health was a significant factor in the decision not to call him to give evidence at the first round of Ballarat hearings. The decision to compel Fr Mulkearns to appear comes just a day after he proved he was fit and able to give evidence after being forced to testify against former priest Robert Claffey. Fr Mulkearns appeared at the Geelong Magistrates’ Court, where Mr Claffey pleaded not guilty to 16 charges including indecent assault and buggery. In the witness box, he replied to more than a dozen questions with ‘I don’t recall”. However, he conceded complaints must have been made about Mr Claffey, ‘because action was taken”. He said he remembered that Mr Claffey ‘had been misbehaving ... in a sexual way”. Fr Mulkearns has previously admitted mishandling cases of sexual abuse while in charge of Ballarat. It has been alleged he routinely shuffled priests around the diocese after complaints were made about them. Fr Mulkearns, who is now retired and lives on the Great Ocean Rd, also allegedly destroyed documents relating to sexual abuse matters to help avoid the crimes ever being detected by authorities. Ridsdale, who has admitted molesting hundreds of kids, has claimed that by the 1980s his offending was an open secret. Contact: shannon.deery@news.com.au
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