Hunter Catholic Diocese Was Hopeful Paedophile Priest Could Be "Cured', Royal Commission Hears
By David Marchese
A New South Wales Hunter region church official sent a priest who admitted to being attracted to young boys to a psychiatrist with the hope that he could be "cured" so that he could return to being a "most effective priest". The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse hearing in Newcastle is investigating abuse at the hands of Vincent Ryan, a Catholic priest who worked in the Maitland-Newcastle diocese for decades. Ryan has spent 14 years behind bars for sexually abusing 35 boys over a period of 20 years and is currently awaiting sentencing on other charges. The commission heard the Maitland-Newcastle diocese was made aware of abuse allegations against Ryan in the mid-1970s and sent him for a psychiatric assessment in Melbourne in 1976. The 1975 abuse of altar boys only came to the attention of police in 1995. Former senior Maitland-Newcastle diocese official Monsignor Patrick Cotter wrote to psychiatrist Peter Evans in 1976. "I hope you will be able to help him with his problem because I know if he can be cured he can be a most effective priest," the late Monsignor Cotter wrote. Dr Evans was questioned by the royal commission this morning about his session with Ryan. He said he had only ever offered an "assessment" for Ryan, not treatment, and described the church's hope that Ryan could be "cured" of paedophilia as "unrealistic". He said he was well aware at the time that Ryan's actions with children were criminal but as the session was confidential, he relied on Ryan to be "the responsible person". "I would have hoped that he would have gone back to the referring doctor and Monsignor Cotter and said I'm going to have treatment here in Maitland," he told the commission. Ryan said he 'got on well' with children
Dr Evans read from his notes from 40 years ago that described Ryan as an "isolated person" with few social relationships. "I ascertained from Father Ryan that he was attracted to, sexually, adolescent boys," Dr Evans said. "Boys that had reached puberty and were capable of some sort of sexual activity themselves." Dr Evans said Ryan told him he was depressed and had a bad relationship with his parents but added "he's OK with children and gets on well with them". "The current social issue at the time was that he regarded himself as a loner," Dr Evans read. Current Bishop questions commission's focus on past
The commission today also heard from the current Bishop of the Maitland-Newcastle diocese, Bill Wright, who has served in the role for five years. Bishop Wright used his time in the witness box to offer an "unreserved apology" on behalf of the diocese. "Some of the men who were harmed as boys have managed to live stable and fulfilling lives, others have struggled simply to remain alive," Bishop Wright said. "We acknowledge that some of those who were abused have taken their own lives." But Bishop Wright also questioned the royal commission's heavy focus on events of the past. "I just have this misgiving that there's an awful lot of stuff going on out there now and we spend so much time on matters that happened decades ago," Bishop Wright said. The commission chair, Justice Peter McClellan, responded swiftly. "The community wanted the church, your church amongst others, to face up to what happened in the past in a public way," he said. Mr McClellan also reminded the Bishop that 40 per cent of allegations of child abuse that had been received by the commission related to Catholic institutions. Two more survivors wrapped up this week's evidence, describing abuse at the hands of Vince Ryan and Marist Brother Francis Cable, also known as Brother Romuald. The royal commission hearing will resume in Newcastle on Monday.
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