Kirchenakte Documented events from judgments, reports and church documents
1954-1997 · 43 years · show in timeline

Melbourne 1954 to 1997: Royal Commission found a "culture of secrecy" under Archbishop Little; offenders' resignations were disguised as ill health and minutes concealed the abuse

In Case Study 35 the Australian Royal Commission examined the Archdiocese of Melbourne. It found a prevailing culture, led by Archbishop Frank Little, of dealing with complaints internally and confidentially to avoid scandal. Minutes never mentioned abuse; as late as 1994 there was a policy of not recording information in order to protect the archdiocese's assets from claims. Little attributed the resignations of accused priests to ill health and concealed that they continued to receive money. As early as about 1954 a priest learned that Father Fasciale had molested two girls. Against Father Peter Searson, who was accused of rape in 1974, Little took no action for years. According to the commission, the archdiocese put the interests of the Church above those of the victims.

Period
1954-1997 (43 years)
Country
Australia
Institutions
Archdiocese of Melbourne
Archbishop Frank Little
Category
Sexual abuse, Cover-up
Level of evidence
A Primary source · what does this mean?
Persons
Frank Little (Archbishop of Melbourne, according to the Royal Commission led the culture of secrecy)
Peter Searson (priest, accused of rape and abuse, convicted of assaulting a child)
George Pell (bishop, later archbishop; according to the Royal Commission ought to have acted against Searson)

What happened to the people

Who was affected? Victims and numbers

  1. Around 1954 a father told Father O'Regan that Father Fasciale had molested his two daughters; in 1960 a mother told the Vicar General that Fasciale had touched her daughter on her private parts. Father Peter Searson, ordained in 1962, was the subject of many complaints, including some of child sexual abuse; in late 1974 a young woman told Archbishop Little that Searson had raped her. Little did not follow up the complaint or confront Searson. A school principal, according to the commission, resigned in frustration at the archdiocese's inaction. Searson was placed on leave in 1997 and pleaded guilty to physically assaulting a child but was never charged with sexual abuse.
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 33
    „We are satisfied that in around 1954 BTE told Father O’Regan that his two daughters had been molested by Father Fasciale.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 33. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 33
    „We are satisfied that in early 1960 BTF told Father Little (a parish priest) and Monsignor Lawrence Moran (the Vicar General) that Father Fasciale had touched her daughter, BTA, on her private parts.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 33. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 13
    „Father Peter Searson was born in 1923 and was ordained as a priest in 1962.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 13. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 14
    „Sometime in late 1974 Archbishop Little received a complaint from a young adult woman that she had been raped by Father Searson.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 14. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 14
    „He took no effective action in response to her complaint.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 14. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 17
    „We are satisfied that Mr Sleeman resigned in frustration because of the Archdiocese’s inaction in relation to Father Searson.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 17. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 13
    „He was placed on administrative leave by Archbishop George Pell in March 1997. That year, he pleaded guilty to physically assaulting a child, but he was never charged with child sexual abuse.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 13. Original · Archive copy

How were they charged and sentenced?

  1. According to the commission, the complaints Archbishop Little knew of by October 1986 about Searson's conduct with children were sufficient for any reasonable person to remove him from parish ministry. Concerning George Pell, then a bishop, it found that on the basis of what he knew on his own evidence he ought reasonably to have concluded that action needed to be taken against Searson; it calls his explanation that the Catholic Education Office deceived him implausible. The experience of one victim, it says, demonstrates the catastrophic human consequences of inaction.
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 24
    „We are satisfied that, by October 1986, the complaints that Archbishop Little was aware of in relation to Father Searson’s conduct with children were sufficient for any reasonable person to form the view that he ought to be removed from parish ministry.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 24. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 20
    „he ought reasonably to have concluded that action needed to be taken in relation to Father Searson“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 20. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 20
    „We are satisfied that Cardinal Pell’s evidence as to the reasons that the CEO deceived him was implausible.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 20. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 24
    „The experience of BVC demonstrates the catastrophic human consequences of inaction.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 24. Original · Archive copy

Background

Who received the assets, who profited?

  1. In the cases of Fathers Fasciale and Gannon, according to the commission, Archbishop Little disguised the fact that they resigned because they were accused of child sexual abuse by attributing their resignations solely to ill health. In the cases of Fathers Pickering and Gannon he sought to conceal that the archdiocese continued to support them financially, in Gannon's case from the Priests' Retirement Foundation.
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 44
    „In the case of Father Fasciale and Father Gannon, Archbishop Little disguised the fact that they resigned because they were accused of child sexual abuse by attributing their resignations solely to ill health.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 44. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 44
    „In the case of Father Pickering and Father Gannon, Archbishop Little sought to conceal their continued financial assistance by the Archdiocese.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 44. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 40
    „We are satisfied that Archbishop Little endeavoured to conceal from those with access to the foundation’s annual report that Father Gannon was being supported financially with funds from the Priests’ Retirement Foundation.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 40. Original · Archive copy

Response of the Church

  1. The Royal Commission found a prevailing culture, led by Archbishop Frank Little, of dealing with complaints internally and confidentially to avoid scandal to the Church. The minutes were euphemistic, incomplete and inaccurate; none referred directly to child sexual abuse. As late as 1994 there was a policy of not recording information about complaints, according to the commission clearly in order to protect the archdiocese's assets in the event of a claim. Complaints were dealt with so as to protect the archdiocese from scandal and liability, and the interests of the Church were prioritised over those of the victims.
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 44
    „We are satisfied that there was a prevailing culture within the Archdiocese, led by Archbishop Little, of dealing with complaints internally and confidentially to avoid scandal to the Church.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 44. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 44
    „None of the minutes refer directly to child sexual abuse or other similar terms.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 44. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 44
    „It is clear to us from those minutes that the purpose of not recording information was to protect the assets of the Archdiocese in the event of a claim being made against it.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 44. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien, S. 44
    „Complaints were dealt with in a way that sought to protect the Archdiocese from scandal and liability and prioritised the interests of the Church over those of the victims.“
    Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted), S. 44. Original · Archive copy

See also

Original documents to read

  1. Government report
    Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australien: Report of Case Study No. 35: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (un-redacted). Original · Archive copy (retrieved 30 Oct 2026)
Change log (1)

The change log is kept in German only.

  • : Aufgenommen

Last changed on 30 October 2026. Is something missing or wrong? Suggest an addition or correction.