Melbourne's paedophile priests to be defrocked

The Catholic archdiocese of Melbourne is defrocking every priest convicted of sexual offences against children according to reports in The Age.

Fourteen Melbourne priests have been convicted in criminal courts of offences against children. To date, three priests are dead, four have been defrocked and applications against another five are before the Vatican. Two more cases are being prepared for submission later this year. Another priest, not convicted in court, has already been defrocked after being judged guilty of abuse by the church's independent commissioner.

The archdiocese has moved quickly in the past year. In April 2010 a spokesman said that despite the more than 300 allegations of abuse substantiated by the independent commissioner, only one priest had been defrocked. The church has been criticised for not acting to remove paedophile priests, but Melbourne's Vicar-General, Bishop Les Tomlinson, said it was only recently that changes to canon law allowed defrocking without their consent and without a trial.

He said defrocking might be important in helping victims find closure, but any priest found to have offended against a child already had their faculties to act as a priest removed. Helen Last of advocacy group In Good Faith said the church's actions opened the way for consultation about changes needed to the Melbourne system for dealing with complaints.

''There are a lot more priests who should be laicised [returned to lay status] through complaints to the independent commissioner's office as well,'' she said.

Bishop Tomlinson said the church could not identify the priests concerned, but last month he confirmed that former Healesville priest Paul Pavlou - convicted of an indecent act with a 14-year-old boy and of possessing child pornography - had been defrocked. Barry Whelan, a serial abuser, but not of children, was also removed this year, but at his own request, reportedly to marry.

The priest removed before 2010 was rapist and serial abuser Michael Glennon, jailed in 1978, 1991 and 2003 for a multitude of offences.

The Broken Rites website identifies several Melbourne priests convicted in criminal courts, including Wilfred Baker, jailed for four years in 1999 on 16 counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency against eight boys; David Daniel, jailed for six years in 2000 on 16 counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual penetration of a 16-year-old; John Haines, jailed for four years and three months in 2008 on six counts of indecent assault and possessing child pornography; Terence Merivale, jailed for six months in 2000 for indecently assaulting three young girls; Terry Pidoto, jailed for seven years and three months in 2007 for rape and other offences against four boys and Victor Rubeo, given a 12-month good behaviour bond in 1996 for indecent assaults against two boys.

Bishop Tomlinson said applications take six months to a year to be completed at the Vatican, and are similar to a prosecution brief in a criminal trial.