AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By North America correspondent Stephanie March
A Catholic priest who gave evidence to the child abuse royal commission in defence of Cardinal George Pell was himself the subject of a historical sexual abuse claim, the ABC can reveal.
In 2012, the victim, John Roach, received an apology and $75,000 compensation after the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne accepted he had been sexually abused by Father John Walshe, a parish priest based at Mentone in Melbourne’s south east.
Father Walshe denies he abused Mr Roach.
Mr Roach was an 18-year-old seminarian in 1982 when the incident took place.
Father Walshe had recently been ordained and was in his early 20s.
Mr Roach, who now lives in the United States, said he felt compelled to speak publicly after seeing Father Walshe giving evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse last week.
“Walshe cannot hold himself up as this paragon of virtue,” Mr Roach said.
“I think he is certainly a compromised witness.”
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