FORMER premier of New South Wales, Barry O’Farrell, has taken aim at the Catholic Church’s cover-up of child sex abuse and called for the sacking of one of the country’s most senior Catholic leaders, Father Brian Lucas.
His angry comments in parliament come in the wake of Commissioner Margaret Cunneen’s scathing report which found Father Lucas failed to act as long ago as 1993 when he knew about child sexual abuse in the Newcastle Maitland Diocese.
Ms Cunneen, SC, found Father Lucas failed to “have proper regard to the protection of children” when he did not make a report to police.
Father Lucas, the former secretary to the ex-Archbishop of Sydney George Pell, is the general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Mr O’Farrell told parliament the church should make a strong stand and remove him. “He is a lawyer which is a relevant fact because he, more than anyone involved in the sorry, squalid and scandalous saga, should have respected the law and reported illegal activities to police,” Mr O’Farrell said in a speech to parliament on Tuesday night.
“It is time the Catholic bishops took a strong stand against clergy abuse within the church, sent a clear message about the responsibility of all its religious to report such crimes to police and extend to victims every positive support and redress.
“Removing Father Lucas from his position as general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference could be a worthwhile first step.”
Mr O’Farrell set up the inquiry headed by Ms Cunneen into claims of the cover-up of child sexual abuse in the Hunter Region of the Catholic Church.
She found Father Lucas had knowledge of two victims of paedophile Father Denis McAlinden and spoke with McAlinden but “deliberately” took no notes and did not report it to police.
Mr O’Farrell said the behaviour of Father Lucas was “inexcusable and unacceptable in anyone but unbelievable, abominable and frankly unchristian when it is found among so-called men of the cloth”.
Father Lucas told the federal sex abuse royal commission this week it had been left up to the victims of clerical sexual abuse to report it to police, except when mandatory reporting rules for children came into force.
A spokeswoman for the bishops conference said Father Lucas had their full confidence: “There had been careful consideration of the entire report. The report did not make adverse findings as to the credit nor did it recommend any action be taken with respect to Father Lucas.”
ABUSER IN POSITION OF POWER Janet Fife-Yeomans
A KNOWN paedophile was made deputy leader of a Marist Brothers community and allowed to work at a “farmhouse” facility which was attended by boys from the age of 12, the child sex abuse royal commission heard yesterday.
When charged by police, Brother Kostka Chute’s legal fees were paid by the Marist Brothers, a multi-million dollar organisation that enjoys tax-free status, and accompanied to court by the order’s director of professional standards, Brother Alexis Turton.
Brother Turton, 74, a former Australian provincial, or head, of the Marist Brothers, said he could understand his support for Brother Kostka was likely to have appeared offensive to the victims of his abuse but he had considered it part of his role.
Chute served two years of a six-year jail sentence after pleading guilty in 2008 to 19 counts of child sex abuse.
The commission was told that, despite confessing to the then-provincial of the Marist Brothers in 1962, 1967 and 1972 to abusing boys, it was not until 1994 that Chute was stopped from teaching.
It is obvious from both of these stories that the Catholic Church is still more concerned with looking after their own - no matter how perverted - than looking after the victims of those perverts.
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| Former Premier of New South Wales, Barry O’Farrell |
Ms Cunneen, SC, found Father Lucas failed to “have proper regard to the protection of children” when he did not make a report to police.
 |
| Brian Lucas |
Father Lucas, the former secretary to the ex-Archbishop of Sydney George Pell, is the general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Mr O’Farrell told parliament the church should make a strong stand and remove him. “He is a lawyer which is a relevant fact because he, more than anyone involved in the sorry, squalid and scandalous saga, should have respected the law and reported illegal activities to police,” Mr O’Farrell said in a speech to parliament on Tuesday night.
“It is time the Catholic bishops took a strong stand against clergy abuse within the church, sent a clear message about the responsibility of all its religious to report such crimes to police and extend to victims every positive support and redress.
“Removing Father Lucas from his position as general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference could be a worthwhile first step.”
Mr O’Farrell set up the inquiry headed by Ms Cunneen into claims of the cover-up of child sexual abuse in the Hunter Region of the Catholic Church.
She found Father Lucas had knowledge of two victims of paedophile Father Denis McAlinden and spoke with McAlinden but “deliberately” took no notes and did not report it to police.
Mr O’Farrell said the behaviour of Father Lucas was “inexcusable and unacceptable in anyone but unbelievable, abominable and frankly unchristian when it is found among so-called men of the cloth”.
Father Lucas told the federal sex abuse royal commission this week it had been left up to the victims of clerical sexual abuse to report it to police, except when mandatory reporting rules for children came into force.
A spokeswoman for the bishops conference said Father Lucas had their full confidence: “There had been careful consideration of the entire report. The report did not make adverse findings as to the credit nor did it recommend any action be taken with respect to Father Lucas.”
 |
| Newcastle, NSW |
A KNOWN paedophile was made deputy leader of a Marist Brothers community and allowed to work at a “farmhouse” facility which was attended by boys from the age of 12, the child sex abuse royal commission heard yesterday.
When charged by police, Brother Kostka Chute’s legal fees were paid by the Marist Brothers, a multi-million dollar organisation that enjoys tax-free status, and accompanied to court by the order’s director of professional standards, Brother Alexis Turton.
Brother Turton, 74, a former Australian provincial, or head, of the Marist Brothers, said he could understand his support for Brother Kostka was likely to have appeared offensive to the victims of his abuse but he had considered it part of his role.
Chute served two years of a six-year jail sentence after pleading guilty in 2008 to 19 counts of child sex abuse.
The commission was told that, despite confessing to the then-provincial of the Marist Brothers in 1962, 1967 and 1972 to abusing boys, it was not until 1994 that Chute was stopped from teaching.
It is obvious from both of these stories that the Catholic Church is still more concerned with looking after their own - no matter how perverted - than looking after the victims of those perverts.
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