AUSTRALIA
The West Australian
Phoebe Wearne
Thursday, 6 April 2017
Retiring Perth Anglican Archbishop Roger Herft’s response to child sexual abuse allegations in his former diocese was “weak, ineffectual and showed no regard for the need to protect children from the risk that they would be preyed upon”, a counsel assisting the royal commission into child sexual abuse has said.
In a 276-page submission published yesterday, Naomi Sharp said it was remiss of then-Bishop Herft to not make his successor, Brian Farran, aware of claims of abuse against senior priests in the Diocese of Newcastle in NSW.
“Bishop Herft mishandled the allegations of child sexual abuse made against two of the most senior and domineering priests in the diocese — the Dean of the Cathedral, Mr (Graeme) Lawrence, and the one-time Archdeacon of Maitland, (Peter) Rushton,” Ms Sharp said. “It was a failure of leadership.”
Archbishop Herft, who is on leave until he is due to retire on July 7, stood aside from his duties last year after he admitted to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in August he had let victims down during his time as Bishop of Newcastle between 1993 and 2005.
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