Royal Commission: Bishop ‘unaware’ He Should Have Reported Abuse to Rome
The Guardian
A New South Wales bishop was unaware for five years of a directive from the pope to refer complaints of child sexual abuse containing "a semblance of truth" to Vatican investigators. The royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse on Thursday heard investigators acting on orders from the pope decreed in 2002 that some complaints of sexual abuse had to be referred to Rome. Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett of Lismore told the commission he was not aware of the decree, first issued in 2001, until 2006. "Any awareness of that requirement, even though it existed in 2001 ... really didn't come to my attention until much later," Jarrett said. Since becoming aware of the directive, Jarrett has referred three priests to the Vatican. He said he has been waiting more than two years for a response from Rome on one complaint. The chair of the commission, Justice Peter McClellan, asked Jarrett how it was that he had been unaware of the directive for five years. "Directives … go to the chancery and they will remain there on the file and might perhaps not be remembered or acted upon," Jarrett said. "It's quite possible." The bishop said he was only made aware of the requirement in 2006 after a conference on canon law. Justice McClellan also questioned Jarrett on the Vatican's protocol to only pass to Rome complaints of allegations that took place over the past decade. Any earlier matters are to be dealt with by the bishop of a diocese. "So if the protocol is observed relatively fewer [cases] would end up being reported to Rome, wouldn't they?" he asked. Jarrett replied: "I suppose so. But the evidence is that, nonetheless, there have still been many cases reported." It is understood the protocol is under review. Jarrett appeared before the commission on Monday and was recalled on Thursday.
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