Tuesday, August 04, 2009

The Catholic Church has a problem down under

Did the Catholic Church allow a convicted pedophile priest to work in the ministry after his conviction? That is the the charge leveled by a victim’s rights group in Newcastle, Australia.

One of Denham's victims says that even though the priest was handed a suspended sentence, the church allowed him back.

Victims' rights groups say that until a couple of years ago Denham was on a reserve list for priests and on at least one occasion was allowed to deliver a sermon.

It will be interesting to see how this one plays out. While Rev. John Sidney Denham is waiting to hear how many years he will spend in prison after a conviction on 29 counts of child molestation, the press will push this issue. At least I hope they will push the issue.

It seems pretty clear from the facts in the story that a known pedophile with a conviction for assault was allowed to work in the church as a priest, but in other areas of Australia. Does that seem ethical to anyone? No? I did not think so. I wonder how the Catholics will spin this story?