IT has been almost nine years since the late bishop of Maitland-Newcastle diocese, Bill Wright, offered a dramatic apology in response to the Special Commission of Inquiry Concerning the Investigation of Certain Child Sexual Abuse Allegations in the Hunter Region.
Speaking to "to all those who have suffered as a result of acts or omissions by members of this Diocese in relation to the matters before this Special Commission of Inquiry", Bishop Wright acknowledged the wrongs committed by Denis McAlinden and James Fletcher.
"I acknowledge that, when matters were reported, church authorities sometimes failed to act, or to act effectively, to support abused children and their families," he said.
The unreserved apology, which remains on the diocese's website, pertains to two specific offenders. But the death of Vince Ryan, another predator who left an unclear total number of victims in his wake, leaves survivors wondering if the most important lessons of the diocese's "sorry history" have truly been learned. What is clear is that Ryan went to jail for 14 years for abusing 34 boys between 1973 and 1991 after Scott Hallett and Gerard McDonald went to police in 1995. He was not defrocked before his death on April 13, which was met with silence until survivors found out on the grapevine.
Silence is a particularly pernicious thing in relation to these matters. Victims have suffered in silence for years. The silence of those in positions of power was acknowledged in Bishop Bill Wright's apology in relation to McAlinden and Fletcher.
Silence is not the absence of sound for those who have suffered and spoken out to shatter it relating to historic sexual abuse; instead, it has been the opaque wall behind which further crimes have been committed.
The diocese has noted it "had an arrangement" with Ryan, but had also petitioned Rome in order to have him defrocked. Acknowledging the past's pain is very present for victims, a diocese spokeswoman noted Ryan's remains "were dealt with respectfully but privately and without ceremony".
Victims who were left to suffer in silence may have wished to deal with the news of Ryan's death in the same manner, rather than to find out through back channels. The nature of any "arrangement" with a convicted offender deserves scrutiny.
Survivor Stephen Murray said he believed the diocese had "covered up" Ryan's death, because it was "customary when a priest dies that it's published".
"Attempting to cover [his death] up and keep it a secret from everybody only adds to the pain of people like Gerard and Scott and their families," he told reporter Helen Gregory on Monday.
The matter highlights the need for transparency as the aftermath of these crimes continue to leave lives transformed decades later. It also highlights the need for a new bishop to take the lead on such matters, as Bishop Wright did almost a decade ago.
