AUSTRALIA
Maitland Mercury
By Elle Watson July 1, 2013
Part two of a Commission of Inquiry into the alleged cover-up of child sexual abuse by the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has heard a senior member of the church knew Father Denis
In her opening address to the special commission, senior counsel assisting the inquiry Julia Lonergan SC, said Monsignor Patrick Cotter received confessions from McAlinden that he inappropriately touched girls as young as seven-years-old.
The Monsignor recommended McAlinden undergo treatment but he was moved from the parish where the abuse occurred and continued to offend the Hunter.
The special commission heard McAlinden sexually abused children in Maitland and Newcastle over four decades.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.