AUSTRALIA
International Business Times
[Unholy Silence – Four Corners]
By Vittorio Hernandez | July 3, 2012
There is another apparent cover-up in an investigation made by three senior Catholic clergy of a sexual abuse complaint at a priest in New South Wales. The priest was accused of sexual assault by five young altar boys in the 1980s.
The three-member panel that investigated the complaint was made up of Brian Lucas, the general-secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Wayne Peters, current vicar-general of Armidale and John Usher, a priest.
The TV programme Four Corners of ABC said at its airing Monday night that there are inconsistencies between the group’s internal report and a file note which was publicised. Fathers Lucas and Usher said the accused priest did not admit any wrongdoing when the panel met on Sept 3, 1992, while Fr Peters said the cleric admitted to instances of misconduct but would not incriminate the priest.
The file note said no admission was made by the accused, but the panel recommended that he should no longer be allowed to say mass due to lack of credibility. However, the panel report which ABC obtained from separate court proceedings, said the priest admitted to his sexual misconduct. His victims were then aged 10 and 11 at the time he was assistant priest at Moree. He allegedly admitted performing oral sex and fondling the genitals of two of the altar servers.
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