AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald
December 14, 2015
Jane Lee
A Catholic bishop has been accused of being untruthful to a royal commission in order to protect himself and the church from criticism over their handling of child sexual abuse allegations against clergy.
Brisbane’s auxiliary bishop Brian Finnigan, formerly a secretary and adviser to former Bishop of Ballarat Ronald Mulkearns, has been grilled for almost two days about his knowledge of allegations against serial child sex offenders, including disgraced priest Gerald Ridsdale.
He said on Friday that he only learned of Ridsdale’s crimes after 1993 and maintained on Monday that he only had “suspicions” of them before then.
Counsel assisting the commission, Angus Stewart, SC, said on Monday: “… you’ve consistently distanced yourself from any knowledge of child sexual abuse by priests of the diocese to protect yourself and to protect the church.”
He likened the Bishop’s testimony to the “appalling” experiences of survivors when they tried to discuss their abuse with church officials in the 1980s, because it “lacked any compassion” and had “not been candid”.
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