I refer to the article by Alan Atkinson published 12 July posing the question 'whether the pursuit of Wilson could in any sense be described as a witch-hunt', and making the suggestion that despite the court's judgment against him Wilson 'believes he has told the truth and is unwilling to give in to what he perceives to be a witch-hunt'.
In May 2018 Archbishop Wilson was convicted of concealing a serious indictable offence relating to the sexual abuse of a teenage boy by a priest in his diocese. Wilson is the highest ranking Catholic cleric to be convicted of such an offence. The Church's response to this episode should be of particular interest.
Wilson was convicted of concealing knowledge of the egregious crimes of Father James Fletcher, who sexually assaulted five teenage boys and died in jail. It was also the finding of the court that Wilson in 2004 failed to inform the police investigating Fletcher of the reports he had received in the 1970s, even though, in the finding of the court, he would surely have remembered them.
The Editor of Eureka Street confirmed on 16 July that neither he nor Alan Atkinson had read the judgment against Wilson before the article was published. Atkinson's article is not labelled as 'opinion'.
The media played an important role in giving voice to victims of abuse by clergy. That reportage led to questions about the responsibility of Church hierarchy to act on information of abuse. The media did not conduct a 'witch-hunt'.
The concealment matters which eventually led to Wilson's conviction arose not from stories in the media, but from in camera evidence during the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry led by Deputy Senior Crown Prosecutor, Margaret Cunneen. Throughout that Inquiry, Wilson's name was carefully suppressed from publication and the details of that part of the Inquiry were subject of a confidential volume of Cunneen's report that still has not been published.
Atkinson recites in some detail circumstances surrounding an ABC report of May 2010 concerning Archbishop Wilson's knowledge of the activities of paedophile priest James Fletcher. Atkinson repeats a claim by Wilson's local media manager that the ABC sent a series of questions about the issue to Wilson on the morning of its late night broadcast, and that Wilson felt he was being 'ambushed' by the ABC.
"Wilson has the right to appeal, and this has been acknowledged in the media. But meanwhile, it is the bishops and senior clergy, not to mention the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, who are calling for Wilson's resignation."
Wilson first made these claims in 2010 and they were answered by the ABC at that time. In fact, the ABC had been in contact with Wilson's media manager for over a week talking about the story and questions that might arise. Wilson was given more than 10 hours to answer the formal written questions that had been discussed with his media manager for a week prior.
The ABC has also long since clarified its reporting about the age of one of Fletcher's victims, Peter Gogarty, at the time he was being abused by Fletcher in the Bishop's House in Maitland. Mr Gogarty has indicated that he was abused from the age of 12, and that the abuse continued over a number of years, including from the time he was 15 in the Bishop's House where Wilson visited and later lived for a time with Fletcher. Wilson has always maintained that he was unaware that the abuse was going on.
Of course, Wilson has the right to appeal, and this has been acknowledged in the media. But meanwhile, it is the bishops and senior clergy, not to mention the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, who are calling for Wilson's resignation. The letter issued by the current Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, Bishop Bill Wright, following Wilson's sentencing, is worth quoting at length here:
'Our grief is first of all for the two teenage boys who, the court found, reported abuse by Fletcher to the then 26-year-old Fr Wilson in 1976 and a year or two later. Their trust was betrayed when no effective action was taken and they were deprived of the care they should have received at the time. Fletcher went on to abuse other boys, and we grieve for the harm done to them as we realise the dreadful truth that this could have been prevented by timely action against Fletcher.'
Noting Wilson's 'vigorous actions against child abusers' as Bishop of Wollongong and later as Archbishop of Adelaide, Bishop Wright nonetheless states that he accepts the judgement of the court:
'Child sexual abuse is an appalling crime for the lasting harm it inflicts on those abused, their families and ultimately our whole national community. Archbishop Wilson is a long-time friend and colleague of mine, and almost like a member of my family. But in these matters all of us must rigorously set aside such considerations in the interests of justice and the protection of children.'
Eureka Street's unconditioned publication of Atkinson's article stands in contrast to Bishop Wright's rigorous acceptance of the court's judgement on Archbishop Wilson.
Suzanne Smith is an award winning ABC television and online investigative journalist. She is currently senior investigative journalist with the ABC True Crime Unit.
Letter to the editor from Peter Gogarty
I am a survivor of sexual abuse by Fr Fletcher. It was me who first made a complaint to NSW police that Wilson knew what Fletcher had been up to. It was me who wrote an opinion piece for Fairfax asking what Wilson knew and when. It was me who appeared on ABC TV naming the Archbishop. By extension, it must be me who initiated the witch-hunt and stirred up public hysteria.
Credit where it is due to Mr Atkinson who notes that he deplores the sexual abuse of children and the concealment of that abuse. However, as a journalist writing in a Jesuit publication, I am not sure it is reasonable for him to suggest that Wilson has been 'stoned by all and sundry in the national village square'.
No one I know — victim, supporter or reporter — has ever sought anything other than accountability from people in the Catholic Church (including Wilson) who until relatively recently were insisting that the Church knew nothing about the child abusers in their ranks — a now thoroughly discredited claim.
It is also, I suggest, unrealistic for Mr Atkinson to think the media won't report on such a high profile case, or ignore public demands for the Archbishop's resignation or dismissal.
Here are a few irrefutable facts ...
READ FULL RESPONSE FROM ADVOCATE AND SURVIVOR OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE PETER GOGARTY
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