AUSTRALIA
The Age
Former NSW priest John Joseph Farrell claimed boys in his old parish of Moree were telling lies and were “out to get him” when he was confronted about child sex abuse allegations, a royal commission has heard.
Senior Catholic Church figure Brian Lucas said Father Farrell was defensive and evasive at a 1992 meeting with senior priests, who’d been tasked with persuading Fr Farrell to leave the church.
“[He made] reference to the boys in Moree that he said were all making up lies and telling lies about him, were out to get him and things like that,” Fr Lucas told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse on Tuesday.
“I was never sure … whether it was fantasy or truth. He was just very defensive and evasive was my impression of his demeanour.”
Fr Lucas, the national director of Catholic Mission, repeatedly stated that while he came away from the meeting with the impression Fr Farrell was guilty of some wrongdoing, there were no specific admissions.
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