AUSTRALIA
The Guardian
Australian Associated Press
theguardian.com, Wednesday 18 December 2013
A New South Wales bishop was unaware for five years of a directive from the pope to refer complaints of child sexual abuse containing “a semblance of truth” to Vatican investigators.
The royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse on Thursday heard investigators acting on orders from the pope decreed in 2002 that some complaints of sexual abuse had to be referred to Rome.
Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett of Lismore told the commission he was not aware of the decree, first issued in 2001, until 2006.
“Any awareness of that requirement, even though it existed in 2001 … really didn’t come to my attention until much later,” Jarrett said.
Since becoming aware of the directive, Jarrett has referred three priests to the Vatican. He said he has been waiting more than two years for a response from Rome on one complaint.
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