By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Cardinal George Pell’s reasons for not acting sooner against Doveton parish priest and accused paedophile Father Peter Searson were “implausible”, according to an unredacted Royal Commission report released on 7 May.
Cardinal Pell – then the region’s Catholic Auxilliary-Bishop – should have acted to remove, or at least sought a thorough investigation, into allegations against Fr Searson in 1989, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found.
“On the basis of what was known to Bishop Pell in 1989, it ought to have been obvious to him at the time.
“He should have advised the Archbishop to remove Father Searson and he did not do so.”
A delegation of teachers from Holy Family School – the Doveton parish where Fr Searson was stationed – had outlined allegations to Cardinal Pell at the time.
The cardinal told the Royal Commission that briefings with the Catholic Education Office (CEO) prior to the meeting gave him the impression that the allegations couldn’t be sustained.
“The effect of Cardinal Pell’s evidence, which he expressly acknowledged, was that the CEO … deceived him because they did not tell him what they knew about Father Searson’s misbehaviour,” the Royal Commission report stated.
“We are satisfied that Cardinal Pell’s evidence as to the reasons that the CEO deceived him was implausible.
“We do not accept that Bishop Pell was deceived, intentionally or otherwise.”
Cardinal Pell told the Royal Commission that he didn’t recall recommending a course of action to Archbishop Frank Little at the time. In retrospect he might have been “a bit more pushy”, he said.
As Auxiliary-Bishop, he had the capacity to urge Archbiship Little to take action to protect the parish’s children, the Commission found.
“We do not accept any qualification that this conclusion is only appreciable in retrospect.”
In a statement, Cardinal Pell said he was “surprised by some of the views of the Royal Commission” about his actions.
“These views are not supported by evidence.
“As an Auxiliary Bishop in Melbourne 1987-96, Bishop Pell met with a delegation from Doveton Parish in 1989 which did not mention sexual assaults and did not ask for Searson’s removal.
“Appointed Archbishop of Melbourne on 16 August 1996, Archbishop Pell placed Fr Searson on administrative leave in March 1997 and removed him from the parish on 15 May 1997.”
Fr Searson was the centre of numerous complaints during his tenure from 1984-97 – with all but one not followed through by the church or police.
Parents and staff had pushed several times unsuccessfully for his axing, but he was abetted by the church’s “culture of secrecy”, the Commission found.
Father Searson was accused of showing a dead body in a coffin to students, pointing a gun at parishioners, flinging a cat by its tail to its death, stabbing a bird to death with a screwdriver, frequenting boy’s toilets and sexually assaulting students.
Then-Melbourne Archbishop Frank Little had sufficient information to remove Fr Searson from the parish in October 1986, the report stated.
“Each occasion after October 1986 that complaints were made against Fr Searson to Church personnel was a missed opportunity for action by the late Archbishop Little.
“The consequences of his inaction was that children were left at risk of harm, including sexual harm, by Father Searson.
“We are mindful of the fact that only the Archbishop had the authority to remove Fr Searson from ministry.
“However, given the number of individual Church personnel with knowledge of complaints against Father Searson, it is extraordinary that there was such a long period of inaction.”
Victoria Police also failed to follow up on sexual abuse allegations made by a 15-year-old girl in 1990.
“The conclusion that (her) statement did not disclose a criminal offence was plainly wrong.”
Fr Searson was never charged with child sexual abuse or removed from the clergy.
Prior to arriving at Doveton, he was clouded by misconduct allegations including an alleged rape at a Sunbury parish.
In the same year he departed Doveton in 1997, Fr Searson was released on a good behaviour bond without conviction for assaulting a child.
He died in 2009.
