AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites
By a Broken Rites Australia researcher (updated 28 August 2015)
The former Australian head of a worldwide Catholic religious order was sentenced to jail on 28 August 2015 for child-sex crimes. Father Julian Fox, 70, of the Salesian order, was found guilty of indecently assaulting boys at two Melbourne schools. The crimes occurred between 1976 and 1985. After these crimes, Father Fox was appointed as the Australian head of the Salesian order. Later, the Salesians allowed him to flee to Rome, thus enabling him to evade Australian police — until the police eventually forced him back to Australia to face the courts. During the sentencing in 2015, Fox’s defence lawyer told the court that Father Fox is still officially a Catholic priest and he has the support of the Salesians.
Various Salesian websites have claimed that the Salesians are the second or third largest Catholic religious order in the world. The Salesians operate in “more than 125 countries”.
The sentencing of Father Fox was conducted by a judge in the Melbourne County Court. Broken Rites representatives were present in court.
The charges against Father Fox were laid by the Sex Crime Squad of the Victoria Police. In 2012, the Sex Crime Squad established a special team of detectives in Melbourne, called “Task Force Sano”, to investigate child-abuse allegations in religious organisations.
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