BishopAccountability.org

Evidence Uncovered in Church Archive about Paedophile Priest

By Dan Cox
ABC News
July 31, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-31/evidence-uncovered-in-church-archive-about-paedophile-priest/4856480?section=nsw

Helen Keevers, the former manager of Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese's Zimmerman House

The former head of the Catholic Church's child protection unit says she uncovered evidence about a Hunter Valley paedophile priest after being given access to the Church's archives.

Helen Keevers was the manager of Zimmerman House, which was set up to make it easier for abuse victims to come forward.

She has given evidence at the inquiry into claims the Church covered up abuse by two Maitland-Newcastle priests, Denis McAlinden and James Fletcher.

She told the Special Commission it "was not particularly respectful but the priests' confidential files were called the bad files".

Ms Keevers said the former bishop, Michael Malone, made it clear she could have access to any relevant documents she wanted, and he wrote a letter to strike force detectives stating they did not need a warrant and were welcome in the diocese at any time.

She said it was when she started digging in the diocesan archives that she found "much more information and further evidence" against priests.

She described McAlinden's files as "three or four inches thick".

Helen Keevers said during her four years as manager of Zimmerman House her team investigated seven members of clergy, four of which resulted in criminal prosecution.

She said police were given complete access to diocesan files, but once the unit was established her team were forever "playing catch-up" as they were "inundated with complaints".

Ms Keevers also told the inquiry Bishop Malone made "major mistakes" and that was "very evident in his work regarding the McAlinden and Fletcher matters".

However she says Bishop Malone steadfastly adhered to his mandatory reporting obligations regarding child protection.

Helen Keevers told the inquiry she likes to think she "played a role in bishop Malone's epiphany regarding his poor handling" of abuse allegations levelled at priests.

Ms Keevers said Bishop Michael Malone was "deeply affected by his very inappropriate decision making during the Fletcher matter".

She said those major mistakes meant "he honestly wanted completely independent advice, separate from the church".

Ms Keevers said she was treated like an "outsider" saying there was a "clear subtext, they were all Catholic and I wasn't".

She told the inquiry bishop Malone was judged internally for his mistakes and then judged externally for the changes he tried to bring in.

The inquiry continues tomorrow when it is expected the public hearings will wrap up after eight weeks.




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