Warrnambool's St Joseph's Primary School Reviews Call for Plaque to Be Removed

By Andrew Thomson
The Standard
February 22, 2017

http://www.standard.net.au/story/4484378/school-reviews-bishop-plaque/

WARRNAMBOOL'S St Joseph's Primary School is reviewing whether it is appropriate to retain a plaque with the name of a disgraced former Bishop of Ballarat.

The review of the plaque, which marks the school’s opening on its Botanic Road site, comes after a victim of clergy abuse called for such plaques to be removed. One has been removed at another Warrnambool school.

The victim said the former Bishop of Ballarat Ronald Mulkearns failed in his duty to protect children from abuse, was aware of clergy abuse and had failed to act.

The victim said he refused to enter churches or schools with such plaques because of Bishop Mulkearns' reign over a systemic abuse.

St Joseph's Primary School newsletter said the school was striving to develop leading child safe practices and procedures over many years.

"Father John (Fitzgerald) has been at the forefront of this work locally and provided excellent support to our school. Pastorally he fully supports victims and their needs,” the newsletter said.

"As Father John has often said, whatever we can do to help, he supports."

The newsletter said an issue relevant to victim support was that often names of past priests, lay people or church leaders who had failed the community were on celebration plaques of school openings and on the names of buildings.

"Supporting victims by removal of names is often discussed in the media and was again on Saturday on both metropolitan and regional papers," it said.

"Many victim advocate groups have also had thoughts in this area.

"The review of the names on plaques on buildings by those who failed the prime safety of people in their care is an action Father John supports."

The newsletter went on to outline that the school's advisory council was reviewing the situation.

"Bishop (Ronald) Mulkearns’ name is on the 1985 opening plaque of our school. This will be a priority for us to action," it said.

Data gathered by the Royal? ?Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse between January 1980 and February 2015 has found 4444 people have come forward with alleged incidents of child sexual abuse in relation to 93 Catholic church authorities.

Ballarat diocese was found to have 8.7 per cent of alleged perpetrators and was ranked seventh worst in Australia? with the Sale diocese? where the most offending took place.

Some of Australia's most notorious abusers were part of a pedophile ring operating in Ballarat for decades.