Australian inquiry hears of gun-toting paedophile priest

An Australian inquiry into systemic child abuse in the Catholic church has been told of a gun-toting paedophile priest who made children kneel between his legs during confession. At the Royal Commission, Gail Furness, the top lawyer leading questioning in the inquiry, centred attention on parish priest Peter Searson, who Vatican finance chief Cardinal George Pell described as “one of the most unpleasant” men he had ever met. Despite Season’s erratic behaviour, he was never dealt with, in a time of “crimes and cover-ups”, said Cardinal Pell.

Archbishop Little for some reason seemed incapable or unable to deal with Father Searson, or even to provide any adequate level of information about the situation.

Cardinal George Pell

The inquiry heard Searson, who died in 2009, was also accused of sexual assault, swinging a cat by its tail over a fence, killing it, showing children a dead body in a coffin and holding a knife to the chest of a young girl. Cardinal Pell called Searson’s behaviour “abhorrent” but denied knowing about it at the time, and suggested that Melbourne Archbishop Frank Little, now deceased, should have done more. Furness also questioned Pell on Brother Edward Dowlan, who was based in Ballarat and Melbourne, and was jailed for abusing boys. "I can’t remember in any detail except that there were unfortunate rumours about his activity with young people. It was always vague and unspecific,“ he said.

This was an extraordinary world. A world of crimes and cover-ups. And people did not want the status quo to be disturbed.

Cardinal Pell

George Pell