Archbishop Wilson’s Crimes and Changing Community Attitudes
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I have held Father Frank Brennan in high regard. He has not towed the party line when certain Catholic leaders needed to be criticised or for example when the church needed to consider recognising or at least not opposing same sex unions.
Consequently it was a great disappointment to hear his comments on ABC Breakfast TV this morning regarding the resignation of Adelaide’s Archbishop Wilson.
While applauding the Archbishop’s overdue resignation, Brennan offered a qualification that reminded me that even he can excuse some of the concealment of child abuse committed by priests in the past. While I’m still waiting for a transcript of the interview to be reminded of the exact words he used, I’ll generally summarise his remarks. First he noted that we should not forget that in the 1990s Archbishop Wilson was progressive in taking steps to expose and prevent child abuse. On this basis he suggested that it was a shame that the Archbishop’s good work was overshadowed by his 1970s offences of concealing child abuse and protecting abusers – as Brennan suggested that Wilson’s offences were committed at a time when attitudes held by many in the community were different.
What was he suggesting? That in the 70s it was considered to be acceptable for priests to sexually assault children? Surely not! Perhaps he was suggesting that it was acceptable for offending priests to be moved to another parish of potential victims rather than be handed over to the police and sacked from the priesthood? I can’t think of any redeemable basis for suggesting that Archbishop Wilson’s protection of perpetrators can be excused as reflecting community attitudes.
You’ve let yourself down badly, Frank. Being an apologist for the churches inexcusable acts does not suit you.
Committing child sex abuse or assisting abusers to avoid being held responsible have in the past and will continue to be regarding as despicable acts irrespective of whether they are committed by common lay criminals or by criminals who also happen to be priests or archbishops.
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