AUSTRALIA
9 News
“Good” and “bad” personnel files were kept on Hunter Valley Catholic priests, a special NSW commission of inquiry into pedophile activity has heard.
This has been disclosed by Elizabeth Doyle, appointed as secretary to Bishop Leo Clarke in 1993. She retained the position for two subsequent bishops, Michael Malone and the current Bill Wright.
Addressing the inquiry on Monday, Ms Doyle said the term “bad” files referred to confidential or “special issues” files that contained documents relating to all kinds of misconduct matters, including child sexual abuse.
She said she was unaware of “bad” files during her first two years in the job, but if they existed they would probably have been kept in Bishop Clarke’s upstairs office at the Maitland/Newcastle diocese headquarters.
He never discussed such matters with her, typed some of his own letters, did his own filing and she never opened any letters addressed to him.
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