Priest Pedophilia Complaint "Bishop's Responsibility, Inquiry Told"

By Dan Box
The Australian
July 19, 2013

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/priest-pedophilia-complaint-bishops-responsibility-inquiry-told/story-e6frg6nf-1226682017651

A SENIOR Catholic cleric has said a victim of a pedophile priest asked him to stop the man reoffending, but he could not as this responsibility lay only with his bishop and his committee, an inquiry has heard.

This committee included one of the most senior officials in the church today, Brian Lucas, as well as another cleric who cannot be named.

Giving evidence today to the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into church child abuse, Monsignor Allan Hart said he was first approached by the victim in 1993.

The woman told him she had been abused by a priest, Denis McAlinden, as a young girl, and "I want to get him off the street and stop him reoffending", he told the inquiry.

"She asked me to take it to the bishop," Monsignor Hart said. It was not his role to respond personally to the woman's request, he said, "as (the bishop) had his committee".

Monsignor Hart told the inquiry he did pass on the report to the then-bishop, Leo Clarke, who told him McAlinden had also been tried, but not convicted, for child abuse in Western Australia.

A third Catholic cleric also told Monsignor Hart there had been previous allegations that McAlinden had abused children, the inquiry heard.

Despite this, these reports were not passed on to NSW Police, the inquiry has heard.

Monsignor Hart said the late Bishop Clarke was a private man who dealt with the allegations against McAlinden in consultation with his committee.

This committee included Reverend Lucas, who is now the general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the inquiry heard.

The third member of the committee cannot be named.

"The bishop had created that team," Monsignor Hart said.

McAlinden died in 2005, before he could be charged by NSW Police.

Revered Lucas is expected to give evidence to the inquiry next week.