AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By Dan Cox
The New South Wales inquiry into child sexual abuse has heard the former bishop of the Hunter Valley’s Catholic Church was not adequately trained to deal with paedophile priests.
The special commission is investigating senior policeman Peter Fox’s claims police and the church covered up abuse by two priests, James Fletcher and Denis McAlinden.
In summing up today, his barrister Mark Cohen told the inquiry paedophile priest Denis McAlinden was moved from diocese to diocese “in the interest of avoiding scandal”.
Simon Harben, representing the former Maitland-Newcastle bishop Michael Malone, urged the commissioner on several occasions not to make any adverse findings against his client.
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