Priest accused of improper behaviour towards children moved to housing next to schools
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Version 0 of 1. A Catholic archbishop has moved a parish priest accused of inappropriate behaviour involving children to church-owned accommodation neighbouring two schools, including one for students with special needs. Catholic authorities received a number of complaints about a parish priest in New South Wales last year. The complaints involved “inappropriate behaviour towards children”, according to the church, and one was referred to NSW police. No charges were laid, and the church dealt with the complaints internally with oversight by the NSW ombudsman under the state’s reportable conduct scheme. The parish priest was removed from his position following the investigation. The archbishop for Canberra and Goulburn, Christopher Prowse, decided to move him to accommodation owned by the church. Guardian Australia has chosen not to reveal the location of the building, which is next door to a primary school and a school for children with special needs. Prowse said there was initially “no other accommodation available”. The retired priest’s health then deteriorated, Prowse said, and a decision was made to keep him there so his medical needs could be met. “Prior to me making the decision to move this clergy member to [location removed], a thorough risk assessment was conducted by staff within the Institute for Professional Standards and Safeguarding and the principal at the nearby Catholic school consulted,” Prowse said. “Let me assure the ... community, this retired priest has no contact with the children of either of the nearby schools and no children are permitted to visit [location removed].” Prowse said he acknowledged the concerns of the community and would now seek alternative accommodation for the retired priest. The royal commission heard evidence last week that some archdioceses had taken steps to ensure convicted offenders were not housed near schools. Sydney archbishop Anthony Fisher said he typically attempted to find out where an offender was living after completing their sentence. “We have tried to ensure that convicted offenders are not living anywhere near a school or near children,” Fisher told the royal commission. “And so in terms of any involvement we have in their housing, that’s one area where we can have some influence, if we have some involvement in their housing.” There is no suggestion the priest has been convicted of any offence. A spokeswoman for the NSW ombudsman confirmed it had overseen the archdiocese’s investigation of the complaints. It was unable to release any further detail, citing the strict secrecy and confidentiality provisions that bound it in such cases. |