Sydney Archdiocese investigated recent complaints against Fr Peter Dwyer, who has been charged over alleged events at St Stanislaus College, Bathurst in the 1970s. The Sydney Morning Herald reports the Archdiocese two years ago dismissed sexual harassment complaints against Fr Dwyer while he served as chief carer for first year students at Sydney's Good Shepherd Seminary.
A seminarian formerly under Fr Dwyer's care, who asked to be known as "Peter", told the paper that there were a string of complaints lodged against Dwyer for alleged impropriety.
Peter said he decided to raise the issue following recent public debate on the issue because it was indicative of the Catholic Church's inability to handle matters of sexual assault and a culture of harassment.
He said Dwyer's transfer to Armidale coincided with the complaints and there was a belief that it was timed to minimise embarrassment for the Church.
Peter said Fr Dwyer had focused his attention on vulnerable seminarians from Asian backgrounds, who spoke little English.
In one instance, a complaint was lodged after he asked one seminarian for a body massage.
"It was inappropriate," he said. "He would ask one seminarian to give him body massages, which was well known and led to one of the complaints."
A spokeswoman for the Sydney Archdiocese confirmed the issue had been investigated.
"Claims that Fr Dwyer had asked adult seminarians to massage his back to relieve pain were fully investigated once they were drawn to the attention of the seminary's authorities," she said.
"There was found to be no improper conduct nor were specific seminarians targeted. Fr Dwyer was directed to cease this practice and he complied fully with this direction."
Meanwhile, a former student at St Stanislaus College, "John", the 51 year old local who received a payment after he accused Fr Guy Hartcher of interfering with him when he was 14, told the Herald he now realised the school was a kind of "pedophile paradise".He recalled priests "grooming" pupils with pornographic magazines, students hiding from staff members when they came "hunting" for first and second formers, and a teacher he knew by the nickname of "Toad" who was notorious for grabbing pupils by their privates if they answered questions incorrectly in class.
"We were all just kids at Stannies, a real smorgasbord," "John" said.
The allegations made against priests charged within the past 12 days concern events at the school in the 1970s and 1980s.
Fr Guy Hartcher faced courts in 1996 and 1997 on allegations by three pupils, but was acquitted at a trial in Sydney while a Bathurst hearing decided there was not enough evidence to commit him to trial.
"John", one of the men who made the complaint against Hartcher, said in addition to the payment from Vincentians, the order was paying for his ongoing medical treatment.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce
(Source: CN)