Suspected abusers allowed to continue priestly duties

THE Catholic Church in Australia has come under fire after it emerged two Irish priests accused of paedophilia were able to continue to perform church-related duties, including working in a primary school.

The Church found Fr Padraic Maye guilty of molesting two sisters in the 1980s and of raping a woman in the 1970s.

According to the Age newspaper, at the end of 2005 the Church forced the Melbourne- based priest to retire early “and removed his ‘canonical faculties’ so that he could not act publicly as a priest, the most serious church penalty apart from defrocking.”

However, it was also revealed Fr Maye had worked at a primary school in the Yarraville region in 2004 and 2005, despite the police and church being told of claims of the abuse of two sisters.

Separately, a church investigation into accusations that Sydney-based Fr Finian Egan groped two girls in the 1980s is still continuing. While he has denied the accusations, his superior has apologised to the accusers.

One of his accusers, Kellie- Anne Roche, complained to the Church in 2008 that she had been groped by the priest from the age of 15 in Sydney in the 1980s. She told the Associated Press she was disgusted to learn he had since conducted a wedding and had been publicly honoured for his 50 years’ service as a priest.

“The church is still more concerned about shielding their priests’ reputations and keeping the public in the dark about what they have done than they are about justice for victims,” the 40-year-old mother of two said.

Bishops in Melbourne and Sydney have claimed both priests had carried out clerical roles without permission.

Neither priest has been charged by police and both have now been banned by the Church from performing any clerical duties.