Broken Bay Bishop Warns of Coming Release of Paedophile Priest

Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate
December 17, 2017

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/broken-bay-bishop-warns-of-coming-release-of-paedophile-priest/news-story/0cfc4de7929d25d25c216952dab8dec6

Broken Bay Bishop Peter Comensoli has warned parishioners via a letter of the impending release of paedophile priest Finian Egan.

THE Catholic bishop of Broken Bay has taken the unprecedented step of warning his parishioners of the impending release of a paedophile priest from jail.

Finian Egan is due to be released from Long Bay Prison on parole tomorrow after serving four years of an eight-year sentence for the rape and abuse of young girls over three decades on NSW Central Coast and in Sydney.

Paedophile priest Finian Egan.

Egan was jailed after being found guilty of seven counts of indecent assault and one count of rape in relation to attacks on girls aged 10 to 17 in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. His crimes included the assault and rape a 17-year-old girl at a church owned house at the Entrance.

Prompted by last week’s Royal Commission report into institutional responses to child abuse, Bishop Comensoli, wrote to parishioners and also imposed further restrictions on Egan.

The letter referred to the “the pain and complexity of the matters detailed in the royal commission” and said it has affected people in many ways.

Bishop Comensoli said the release of former Diocese of Broken Bay priest Finian Egan from jail on parole was a “new phase” in the local situation.

“This development will occasion different reactions and emotions for many of you, even distress, especially for those who may have known Finian, and most particularly for those who have been offended against and hurt by him,” Bishop Comensoli wrote.

The volumes of the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse were released last week.

The Bishop told parishioners that Egan had already been “permanently removed from ministry,” but that “additional restrictions” would be placed on him which included:

Referring to himself as a priest or implying in any way he was a priest

Seeking accommodation in any area which he has previously ministered

Turning up to any parish site in the Diocese of Broken Bay, including any presbytery.

Bishop Comensoli said the restrictions were in addition to the conditions imposed by the Parole Authority, which had placed him in initial accommodation outside the Broken Bay diocese.

The Parole Authority believed 81-year-old Egan was no longer a risk to the community because of his age.

A parishioner who attended church at Terrigal on Sunday said those at the service were told that copies of the letter “relating to the Royal Commission” were available after the service.