AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By David Marchese
A former Anglican bishop has told the child abuse royal commission the power to discipline clergy needs to be removed from the church because its morality “has been compromised”.
Brian Farran held the position of bishop of Newcastle from 2005 until his retirement in 2012, and has been questioned about widespread abuse carried out in the diocese over several decades.
Bishop Farran told the commission of how he “agonised” over whether he should defrock his long time friend, the former Dean of Newcastle, Graeme Lawrence.
Mr Lawrence was ultimately defrocked in 2012, along with reverends Bruce Hoare and Andrew Duncan over what were described as “disturbing” allegations of abuse that allegedly occurred in the 1970s and 1980s.
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