Bishop accused of not being 'candid', lacking 'compassion' in testimony to royal commission

[LiberalAndProud]

http://www.smh.com.au/national/bishop-accused-of-not-being-candid-lacking-compassion-in-testimony-to-royal-commission-20151214-glnd66.html

A Catholic bishop has been accused of being untruthful to a royal commission in order to protect himself and the church from criticism over their handling of child sexual abuse allegations against clergy.

Bishop Finnigan said last Friday that he did not know whether Ridsdale's offending against children was well-known in June 1988, when he was moved from a parish in Horsham.

-snip-

Yet in his private hearing, it was revealed that he agreed that it had become necessary to move Ridsdale because of a concern complaints about him would be made public He also said that consultants – senior priests who advised Bishop Mulkearns on clergy appointments – likely discussed this at the time.

Almost all of the priests who have appeared before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse's second Ballarat hearing have been unable to recall details of meetings they attended, where the appointments of priests later convicted of child sexual abuse were discussed. Bishop Finnigan is the only witness Mr Stewart has lambasted over the reliability of their evidence.

Chairman of the commission, Justice Peter McClellan, has also repeatedly challenged Bishop Finnigan's claims he was ignorant of Ridsdale's offending, in contrast to the wording of his responses in an interview with the church's insurer, Catholic Church Insurance, in 1993.

Under cross-examination from survivor witnesses' lawyers on Monday, Bishop Finnigan conceded he had not reported abuse allegations to the police.

[Lordquinton]

1. Time for some Due Process

Wonder if the Pope is withholding evidence on this case also.

[LiberalAndProud]

2. Due process takes time.

Ridsdale is in jail for abusing 53 children but the Ballarat diocese has received 78 child sex abuse claims against him.

Ridsdale abused children in Mortlake before being moved in 1982 to the Catholic Enquiry Centre in Sydney.

Ridsdale is in jail for abusing 53 children but the Ballarat diocese has received 78 child sex abuse claims against him.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/abuse-royal-commission-priests-held-meeting-on-gerald-ridsdales-sexual-activities-in-1980s/news-story/b55cacbffc16d00d164004c78213974a?nk=8a045318ec629e5d290abc40a5e71933-1450301020

[Lordquinton]

3. Oh sweet Jesus

If he were gay it would happen overnight. How can anyone look up to an organization with such twisted priorities?

[skepticscott]

4. Or give them money,

or defend their enabling of child rape in any way. How the people who do can look themselves in the mirror in the morning is hard to fathom. And yet, they are so proud of themselves. Sickening.

[Lordquinton]

5. Or claim that the good balances it out.

anything but an admittance of wrong doing.