Police Slam Catholic Church over Abuse

By Paul Mulvey
Courier Mail
October 19, 2012

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/vic-child-abuse-inquiry-set-to-open/story-e6freono-1226498973269

THE Catholic Church has put its own reputation ahead of the welfare of victims by destroying evidence of sexual abuse and failing to report accusations against the clergy, Victoria Police says.

Victoria's deputy police commissioner Graham Ashton says the church has hindered justice and not reported any case of abuse in more than 50 years, while a legal expert claims cover-ups went to the "highest level".

In damning evidence to a parliamentary inquiry on Friday, Mr Ashton said that of the 620 cases of abuse the church has internally upheld in Victoria since 1956, none had been reported to police.

He said in those 56 years, police had investigated 2110 offences committed by clergy and church workers against 519 victims, of which 370 were committed by Catholic priests or brothers. He said 87 per cent of the victims were boys aged 11 or 12.

But rather than reporting the matters, he accused the church of wrapping a special process around clergy accused of sexual abuse.

"If a stranger were to enter the grounds of a church and rape a child, that would be reported to police," he told the first day of the inquiry into child abuse by religious and other organisations.

"But if that stranger happened to be a member of the clergy, such as a priest, then that would not be reported.

"A special process is wrapped around him which discourages a victim to complain to police, seeks to ensure the offending clergy member is not only not prosecuted and jailed, but never entered on the sex offenders register.

"The process is designed to put the reputation of the church first and victims second."

Vulnerable boys of single parents were the biggest targets, Mr Ashton said, and were often abused when seeking comfort.

The abuse occurred in various locations, including classrooms, camps and confessionals, while one boy was abused immediately following the funeral of a family member.

In its written submission, Victoria Police accused the church of intimidation and secrecy and Mr Ashton on Friday said the church has alerted alleged offenders to police investigations.

In one case, analysis revealed an offender's computer showed a number of suspicious files were destroyed.

He said the force wanted to work with the church on preventing and dealing with sexual abuse, but needed "honest dialogue first."

Law professor Patrick Parkinson, who has advised most churches on sexual abuse and was asked by the Catholic church to independently review its Towards Healing protocol, repeated Mr Ashton's call to make it a criminal offence for the church not to report accusations of abuse.

Prof Parkinson said he could not be certain that all offenders were no longer in positions of authority or near children and told the inquiry the church needed to declare a full account of where they were now.

"The church cannot recover from this crisis unless there is a clean slate," he told the inquiry.

He said the church's 148-page submission entitled Facing the Truth "has no information whatsoever about what happened to the offenders."

"The church must be asked to provide complete and full information ... no secrets, all files open."

Prof Parkinson says lies, cover-ups and violence were part of the process in which the Salesian order sent offending priests to Rome and Samoa.

"The cover-ups go to the highest level," he said.

Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart admitted in a written statement that parts of Mr Ashton's evidence "raise a number of very serious matters which have not been expressed to us previously, and which require careful scrutiny".

But he defended the church for not reporting cases of abuse, saying Facing the Truth indicates many victims requested confidentiality.

Archbishop Hart, however, said many victims took their accusations to police as "a result of the encouragement and assistance provided to them by the church".