Sunday, October 21, 2012

Salesian report to sex probe queried

THE Catholic Church has seriously misrepresented Sydney University law professor Patrick Parkinson, who conducted an independent inquiry into how the Salesian order sent three sex offenders overseas, the child protection expert said.

In its submission to the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into how the churches handled sex abuse, the church says Professor Parkinson began his investigation without the knowledge of the Salesians of Don Bosco - which the professor says is utterly false.

His report, which recommended a public inquiry and police investigation, dealt with the removal from Australia of three priests before police could interview them. As part of that, the then head of the Salesians incorrectly declared to Samoan authorities that Father Frank Klep had no criminal record.

Father Klep was deported and later jailed on child sex charges in Australia. Father Jack Ayers remains in Samoa and Father Julian Fox, a former Australian head of the order, was moved to Rome and did not return to Australia until his accuser died.

Professor Parkinson, who chaired a review of child protection laws in New South Wales and twice helped the church review its system for dealing with abuse complaints, has made his own submission to the inquiry that differs significantly from the church's.

He accuses the church's National Committee for Professional Standards - which suppressed his 2010 report and still has not released it - of continuing to cover up wrongdoing.

''The cover-up continues to the present, and people at the highest levels of the Catholic Church nationally have been involved in that cover-up,'' he says.

The church's submission says the Salesians were ''very critical of the process and content of Professor Parkinson's report''. The committee brokered attempts to reach agreement, but ''Professor Parkinson insisted on maintaining positions which the Salesians claim were incorrect''.

Professor Parkinson's submission details several exchanges he had with the Salesian leadership that suggest they were aware of his investigation. He says the Salesians agreed in advance to the process, and made no comment when given a draft of the report.

But after the report was completed in 2010, the then head of the Salesians in Australia, Father Frank Moloney, ''waged a very strong campaign'' to suppress it, the submission says.

Professor Parkinson is also believed to be unhappy about the church's suggestion that the committee mediated between him and the Salesians, and about the implication that he was intransigent, because it was always understood the inquiry was independent and did not need Salesian approval.

Professor Parkinson told The Age he was ''seriously concerned'' about the accuracy of the church submission.

He said the issues in the disputed report were still critically important because questions remained unanswered about priests found guilty of child sex abuse continuing in ministry, ''and we don't know how many others there are out there''.

Church spokesman Father Shane Mackinlay last night said Professor Parkinson had told the professional standards committee that he considered the church submission summary inaccurate.

He said the church submission had sought to objectively summarise a complex issue to present to the inquiry.

"We had no intention of criticising Professor Parkinson. We apologise for any implicit criticism of him," he said.