Sex Offender Priest Allowed Back into Ministry

This story out of Australia is outrageous but unfortunately is all too much the norm as to how sexual predator priests have been delt with by the Roman Catholic Church. Here, priest John Sidney Denham, guilty of 29 sex abuse charges, was handed a suspended sentence, but the Church allowed him back and was maintained on a reserve list for priests. I know of no other institution that would allow a convicted sex offender to basically go unpunished and in a position to molest more victims, yet this has been standard operating procedure for the Church hierarchy. It is outrageous and shows how morally bankrupt the institutional Church has become - and who callous to the abuse of minors. I ask gain, why does the Catholic laity continue to fund such a nasty group of hypocrites? Here are highlights from ABC News out of Australia:

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A Sydney judge is preparing sentencing in the case of John Sidney Denham, who was a priest for decades before his first conviction for abusing children in 2000. One of Denham's victims says that even though the priest was handed a suspended sentence, the church allowed him back. Victims' rights groups say that until a couple of years ago Denham was on a reserve list for priests and on at least one occasion was allowed to deliver a sermon. In 1979, Tim, as he would prefer to be known, was molested by his school teacher Denham. Tim says the assault, at a school in Newcastle, was brushed under the carpet. "Denham was then moved on to another school, which appeared to be the norm for this era," he said. "They basically relocate the problem and allow the abuse to continue elsewhere."

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Last month Denham pleaded guilty to 29 separate sex assault charges dating back to the 1980s. These occurred at a different school. The head of the Newcastle Diocese, Bishop Michael Malone, has denied the church allowed Denham to preach part time after his 2000 conviction.

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Victims' advocate group Broken Rites says the church has been protecting Denham for 30 years. Broken Rites head Dr Bernard Barrett says Denham should have been banned from carrying out any activities at the church and as a librarian at the Sacred Hearts mission he would have been exposed to children.

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"It was only about five years later, around about 2005 I think, when one of his Newcastle victims, or maybe it was a Waverley victim, realised that he was still working as a priest on Sundays." Dr Barrett claims the church has not changed its ways and even now, in the year 2009, it is not prepared to actively expose members of its priesthood. The church denies this.

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The Church has shown no real contrition - it is merely sorry that it's despicable conduct and policies were exposed and that it has lost large amounts of its precious money. Nothing has truly changed despite claims to the contrary.