Witnesses for Royal Commission in Melbourne

Broken Rites
November 23, 2015

http://brokenrites.org.au/drupal/

Australia's national child-abuse Royal Commission is receiving evidence about how the Catholic Church authorities sent a series of FOUR sexually-abusive priests to one Melbourne parish — Doveton. This low socio-economic area — on Melbourne's south-eastern outskirts near Dandenong — includes a large number of vulnerable families. Doveton is one of several Melbourne parishes which are being examined in a Royal Commission public hearing, beginning on 24 November 2015 (and lasting for four weeks).
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And here, below, is a news item from AAP about the Royal Commission:

[The Australian]

Pell and Hart among commission witnesses

WITNESSES FOR ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MELBOURNE ARCHDIOCESE ABUSE:

CARDINAL GEORGE PELL
* Now Vatican financial chief
* Melbourne archbishop 1996-2001
* Auxiliary bishop of Melbourne 1987-1996
* Gives evidence week of December 14

ARCHBISHOP DENIS HART
* Melbourne archbishop since 2001

BISHOPS: Former vicars-general and auxiliary bishops of Melbourne archdiocese PETER CONNORS and HILTON DEAKIN

THOSE WHO SPOKE OUT:

* Former Melbourne priest PHILIP O'DONNELL - Told a Victorian inquiry then Melbourne Archbishop Frank Little (now dead) was told of allegations against a priest in 1970s, archdiocese knew about clergy abuse allegations since at least 1950s

* Former Holy Family Primary School (Doveton) principal GRAEME SLEEMAN - Complained about Doveton parish priest Peter Searson and resigned when nothing was done about him

* Former Holy Family Primary School teacher CARMEL RAFFERTY - Told Victorian inquiry group of teachers complained to Pell in early 1990s about sex abuse allegations against Searson

OTHERS INCLUDE: Four abuse survivors; former director of Catholic Education for Melbourne Father Thomas Doyle; Victoria Police assistant commissioner Stephen Fontana; Former principal of North Richmond's St James Primary School Patricia Taylor.