Christian Brother admitted abuse in 1950s

AUSTRALIA
WA Today

A Christian Brother who sexually abused boys in his care in Western Australia admitted his conduct to the order in 1953 but was left to his own devices, an inquiry has heard.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is hearing testimony from the order’s former provincial leader in WA and SA, Brother Anthony Shanahan.

The commission heard a man known as Brother Parker came clean to his superiors about his struggle with the order’s “second vow” of celibacy in 1953.

A 1953 visitation report from Bindoon noted Brother Parker as being “still beset by his own inner troubles about which he spoke with complete candour”.

“The second vow has long been of difficulty for him. No individual is involved … in his own interests his contact with the boys ought to be reduced.”

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.