Child Abuse Royal Commission: Hundreds of Sexual Abuse Claims against Archdiocese of Melbourne
ABC News
More than 450 people have made sexual abuse claims or substantiated complaints against Archdiocese of Melbourne priests, employees or volunteers since 1980, an inquiry has heard. At a public hearing in Melbourne, the Royal Commission into Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse said it had collected data on the conduct of Catholic priests that has never before been made public. Senior Counsel Assisting Gail Furness, SC, said the royal commission conducted a survey of all Catholic Church authorities in Australia. Most of the complaints against the Melbourne Archdiocese were about incidents that were alleged to have happened between 1950 and 1989. The 1970s produced the highest number of claims. More than 300 of the claims resulted in compensation payments to victims, with the church paying out nearly $17 million including treatment, legal and other costs, or an average of $52,000 per claimant. Those accused were overwhelmingly male, with only eight per cent being female. The commission is holding public hearings in Melbourne for three weeks and will look at allegations levelled against clergy associated with the Holy Family Parish, and the Holy Family Primary school, which are both in Doveton. It will also investigate the Melbourne Archdiocese's response to allegations against Catholic clergy including Father Wilfred Baker, Father David Daniel, Father Nazareno Fasciale, Father Desmond Gannon , Father Paul Pavlou and Father Ronald Pickering. Cardinal George Pell has been called to give evidence at hearings. Royal commission hears Doveton priest taped 'hot confessions' The commission has heard disturbing details about the "strange" behaviour of Melbourne priest Peter Searson, who was the subject of four substantiated complaints or claims. Senior Counsel Gail Furness said there were complaints about Mr Searson from the time he was a parish priest in Sunbury in the 1970s until he was parish priest in Doveton in the 1980s. The complaints included Mr Searson having a handgun at school, showing animal cruelty to children, showing children a body in a coffin, and sexualised conduct with children. Ms Furness said his behaviour had, at the very least, the potential to harm children. "Having children sit on his knee during confession, having them kneel between his knees during confession, tape recording what he described as hot confessions, cuddling girls, and having girls do handstands in front of him in their dresses," she said. "There were also complaints that he frequented the boys' toilets in circumstances where staff had access to their own toilets." She said evidence would be heard the Catholic Education Office and then Arch Bishop Frank Little knew of the complaints, and Mr Searson "usually admitted the fact of allegation, but disavowed any untoward purposes". "Those admissions were not always recognised as such by church officials," she said. In 1989, four representatives from the parish school met with Cardinal Pell about Mr Searson's behaviour, and the complaints were passed on by then Bishop Pell to the then Vicar General Monsignor Hilton Deakin, Ms Furness said. Ms Furness said no serious investigation was undertaken into Mr Searson's behaviour in the 1980s or early 90s, despite a formal warning being issued to Mr Searson in 1993. He was put in administrative leave in 1997, charged with unlawful assault of an alter boy later that year, and in 1998 he was banned from practising as a priest. Ex-priest Philip O'Donnell told the inquiry the late former Archbishop Frank Little took no action until he found a "non-scandalous" administrative reason to move Mr Searson to another parish. "The Archbishop, when given voluminous specific data on matters of scandal that would have damaged the church and the reputation of the church, chose not to act," he said.
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