AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By Dan Cox
The former Bishop of the Hunter Valley’s Catholic Church says a priest accused of child sexual abuse was given a bigger parish because of a “staff shortage”.
The former Maitland-Newcastle Bishop Michael Malone will continue giving evidence at the inquiry’s public hearings today.
It is investigating claims by senior policeman Peter Fox that the Church tried to protect two priests, James Fletcher and Denis McAlinden.
Bishop Malone told the Commission because of the serious allegations against Fletcher he warned the principal of a Branxton school that the priest should not have access to children.
But not long after that, Bishop Malone made Fletcher responsible for the nearby Lochinvar parish as well as another school, without warning the principal there.
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.