By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
FOUR ex-Catholic Education Office employees have denied Cardinal George Pell’s claims that he had been deceived over former paedophile priest Peter Searson’s disturbing activities at Holy Family School, Doveton.
The witnesses fronted Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse on 27 April in response to Cardinal Pell’s claims that CEO personnel were “very keen to keep the lid on the situation” ahead of a briefing with concerned Holy Family teachers in 1989.
It was a situation that included Searson being accused of child sex abuse, animal cruelty and keeping unregistered firearms during his tenure from 1984-97.
Monsignor Thomas Doyle, who was then director of CEO, told the inquiry he was “very disappointed” in Cardinal Pell’s claims.
“I don’t think they were true.”
In a statement, Monsignor Doyle said the CEO would have “welcomed decisive action” on Searson.
“In Cardinal Pell’s terms we wanted to ‘take the lid off’ the situation and have it addressed.”
In letters prepared by lawyers for the Archdiocese of Melbourne, former CEO consultants Allan Dooley and Peter Annett stated they weren’t aware of any reluctance to be frank with Cardinal Pell about Searson.
They also stated they were unaware of a desire to protect then-Archbishop Little.
Former CEO zone co-ordinator Catherine Briant, in a separate statement, also denied any cover-up.
Cardinal Pell had told the commission this year that CEO staff were “covering up” in an effort to protect then-Archbishop Frank Little over his inaction against Searson.
“The line that was given to me was that certainly there were problems but they were insufficient to remove Searson.
“I think they would have covered up from me, as I mentioned earlier, because they would have feared that I would not accept the status quo.”
The inquiry in Sydney continues.
