AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald
Joanne McCarthy
6 May 2017
ST Pius X High School at Adamstown has removed formal references to former principal and Catholic priest Patrick Helferty after former students alleged he knew about the child sex offending of fellow priest John Denham.
Principal Robert Emergy advised parents this week that the school’s executive had renamed one of the school’s houses – a student grouping – from Helferty House to Murray House (after former Maitland Bishop James Murray) following a complaint from one former student and release of a book, The Priests, by another former student, James Miller.
“This change of name has been made because there are public allegations that the house patron, Father Helferty, was aware of the sexual abuse of students that occurred at St Pius X in his time there in the 1970s and 1980s,” Mr Emery said.
“It is alleged that Father Helferty failed to act to stop the abuse. Since Father Helferty is deceased these allegations will remain as allegations.”
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