Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Will Salford follow Melbourne's example?
Letter sent to the press 9 May 2011
I was delighted to see that the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne has announced that it will be acting to laicise every one of its priests convicted of sexual offences against children (see http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/church-acts-to-defrock-all-paedophile-priests-20110508-1eebo.html#ixzz1LsOtJaBr ).
However, our local situation, here in the Diocese of Salford, remains very different.
Only a few months ago we discovered that, because Bishop Brain had never taken the action necessary to ensure his laicisation, Father Thomas Doherty, the former parish priest of St. Joseph’s Todmorden had remained a priest until his death in September 2010, despite having been convicted, in 1998, of five offences of indecency against a boy under 16 (see http://www.todmordennews.co.uk/news/convicted_priest_was_never_laicised_1_1997754 ), while the people of the Diocese are still waiting for the laicisation of Father William Green, the former parish priest of Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, Wigan, almost three years after he was convicted of 26 offences of indecent assault in 2008 (see http://www.wigantoday.net/news/paedo_priest_anger_1_2866892 ).
When can Catholics in the Diocese of Salford expect the same decisive action as is, now, promised in Australia? When can they expect Bishop Brain to act on the commitment he made in November 2001 to implement the recommendations of the Nolan Report?
Philip Gilligan
Monday, May 9, 2011
Archdiocese of Melbourne acts to laicise every priest convicted of sexual offences against children.
See http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/church-acts-to-defrock-all-paedophile-priests-20110508-1eebo.html
THE Catholic archdiocese of Melbourne is defrocking every priest convicted of sexual offences against children.
Fourteen Melbourne priests have been convicted in criminal courts of offences against children. Three are dead. Of the others, four have already been defrocked and applications against another five are before the Vatican. Two more cases are being prepared for submission later this year.
Another priest, not convicted in court, has already been defrocked after being judged guilty of abuse by the church's independent commissioner.
The archdiocese has moved quickly in the past year. In April 2010 a spokesman said that despite the more than 300 allegations of abuse substantiated by the independent commissioner, only one priest had been defrocked.
The church has been criticised for not acting to remove paedophile priests, but Melbourne's Vicar-General, Bishop Les Tomlinson, said it was only recently that changes to canon law allowed defrocking without their consent and without a trial.
He said defrocking might be important in helping victims find closure, but any priest found to have offended against a child already had their faculties to act as priest removed.
Helen Last of advocacy group In Good Faith said the church's actions opened the way for consultation about changes needed to the Melbourne system for dealing with complaints.
''There are a lot more priests who should be laicised [returned to lay status] through complaints to the independent commissioner's office as well,'' she said.
Bishop Tomlinson said the church could not identify the priests concerned, but last month he confirmed that former Healesville priest Paul Pavlou - convicted of an indecent act with a 14-year-old boy and of possessing child pornography - had been defrocked.
Barry Whelan, a serial abuser, but not of children, was also removed this year, but at his own request, reportedly to marry.
The priest removed before 2010 was rapist and serial abuser Michael Glennon, jailed in 1978, 1991 and 2003 for a multitude of offences.
The Broken Rites website identifies several Melbourne priests convicted in criminal courts. They include:
■ Wilfred Baker, jailed for four years in 1999 on 16 counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency against eight boys.
■ David Daniel, jailed for six years in 2000 on 16 counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual penetration of a 16-year-old.
■ John Haines, jailed for four years and three months in 2008 on six counts of indecent assault and possessing child pornography.
■ Terence Merivale, jailed for six months in 2000 for indecently assaulting three young girls.
■ Terry Pidoto, jailed for seven years and three months in 2007 for rape and other offences against four boys.
■ Victor Rubeo, given a 12-month good behaviour bond in 1996 for indecent assaults against two boys.
Bishop Tomlinson said applications take six months to a year to be completed at the Vatican, and are similar to a prosecution brief in a criminal trial.
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