VICTORIA Police has called for sweeping changes to the way Melbourne’s Catholic Church deals with sex crime allegations, as The Age reveals that only one priest has been defrocked for abuse in the past 14 years.

Nearly 300 allegations of sexual abuse have been substantiated by church investigations since 1996, when the ”Melbourne Response” was set up to deal with complaints. It is believed the abuses were perpetrated by approximately 100 priests, a figure the church will not confirm. Just one priest has been defrocked as a result. Some other priests lost their role serving a parish full-time.

Church sources say police are pushing for change because they do not want accused priests told about covert criminal investigations. Last year detectives feared the church’s independent commissioner, Peter O’Callaghan, QC, may have compromised two covert investigations when he told two priests, through their lawyers, that they were being investigated. He did this without the consent of detectives, who had not yet interviewed the priests. Mr O’Callaghan’s investigation is suspended when police begin theirs – and he argues that priests have a right to know.
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The Age can now reveal that in August last year Mr O’Callaghan told an alleged victim that his alleged groping by a priest was unlikely to constitute a crime. In a letter he said: ”Without seeking to dissuade you from reporting the matter to police if you so desire, I must say that the conduct you described is unlikely to be held by a court as criminal conduct.”

What an utter disgrace.