Terms of 'Father F' Abuse Inquiry Released

ABC News
July 23, 2012

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-23/terms-of-27father-f27-abuse-inquiry-released/4148110?section=nsw


The Catholic Church has released the terms of reference for an inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse by a priest in two New South Wales dioceses.

The Bishops of Armidale and Parramatta announced the inquiry earlier this month, after the ABC's Four Corners program revealed allegations about a priest known as Father F.

The priest allegedly abused a number of altar boys in the 1980s.

The inquiry, headed by former Federal Court judge Antony Whitlam, will examine how complaints against Father F were dealt with by the church, and allegations that he made admissions to three senior priests in 1992 but they failed to act.

There have been conflicting accounts of what happened at that meeting.

The events leading up the Father F's termination from the ministry will also be looked into.

The terms of the inquiry have already been criticised by an advocate for victims of sexual abuse.

Bryan Keon-Cohen, from the Victorian advocacy group Commission of Inquiry Now, says the selection of former Federal Court judge Antony Whitlam to head the inquiry is positive.

But he says the terms of reference only address the church's response to complaints, not the allegations of abuse themselves.

"It doesn't make sense to me," he said.

"I'm of the view that it's not practical to assess the adequacy of a response to a problem if you don't look at the problem itself."