No Notes, No Paper Trail: Inquiry

By Ian Kirkwood
Newcastle Herald
July 24, 2013

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1660663/video-no-notes-no-paper-trail-inquiry/?cs=305

[Inquiry archive]

[Transcripts of inquiry]

A SENIOR priest at the heart of the Catholic Church's efforts to deal with paedophile priests has admitted to not taking notes of his investigations so as not to leave a paper trail.

Father Brian Lucas, general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, yesterday gave evidence to the Special Commission of Inquiry in Newcastle.

Father Lucas has been identified in earlier evidence as being involved in attempts to discipline paedophile priest Denis McAlinden, who died in a church-run facility in Western Australia in 2005.

Although he acknowledged evidence at the inquiry that McAlinden had confessed to him personally during an interview in the 1990s, Father Lucas said he had no recollection of that meeting.

Father Lucas said repeatedly that he did not report McAlinden to the police because the victims who had come forward did not want this to happen.

He said that even now, if it was a choice between respecting the wishes of a victim and misprision of felony (concealing offences) he would "respect what the victim wanted done".

Father Lucas was on a committee formed to deal with sexual abuse after allegations were raised in Melbourne, the United States and Canada.

He said that in those years until the Towards Healing protocol took effect in 1996, he dealt with about 35 priests accused of child sexual abuse.

Questioned by Julia Lonergan, Father Lucas dismissed her contention that it would have been logical for him to keep notes of his conversations with accused priests.

Father Lucas agreed with Ms Lonergan that it was his "published view" that it was a good idea not to have written notes, so that a subsequent legal process could not be successful. He said he held that view at the time, back in the 1990s, and he held it now.

He did not regard not taking notes as a cover-up because a cover-up was destroying evidence or hiding facts without reasonable grounds.