Special Commission of Inquiry into the Catholic Church's Handling of Clergy Abuse in Newcastle Diocese questions Fr Brian Lucas

Fr Brian Lucas leaving Newcastle Court after being questioned as a witness yesterday

Yesterday Father Brian Lucas, General Secretary of the Australian Bishops Conference, who advised bishops on protocols for dealing with clergy paedophiles, was questioned at the Special Commission of Inquiry. On the witness stand Fr Lucas said he didn't report clergy paedophiles to the police because victims had requested him not to. When asked by the judge why victims were reluctant to go to the police he did not mention that victims were often ostracized by elements in the Catholic community if they did. When asked to explain "professional secrecy" in the protocols he helped devise he said it was to protect the privacy of victims. Does this shed any light on why a priest at the Sacred Heart Church turned off the microphone of an adult survivor of clergy abuse while she was delivering a eulogy which mentioned her father's long standing concern with those clergy who covered up for paedophiles?   http://www.theherald.com.au/story/445103/newcastle-womans-eulogy-for-dad-offends-catholic-church/