Archbishop told abuse victim to 'go to hell'

nineMSN ^ | Aug 11 2009

[Alex Murphy]

A Catholic Archbishop reportedly told a sexual assault victim to "go to hell" in what a Victorian magistrate has labelled "appalling" conduct.

According to court documents, Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart told the woman to "go to hell, bitch" after she knocked on his door in the early hours of a morning in March, 2004.

Archbishop Hart had been granted an intervention order against the woman after she began pursuing him over her abuse by priest Barry Whelan in 2001, The Age reports.

The archbishop later apologised to the woman but last night told The Age he "did not recall" his comments.

"It was a number of years ago, I don't recall precisely," he told the newspaper.

The woman was placed under an intervention order after she threw stones through a window of the archbishop's house and harassed him and his staff.

Despite being unable to remember what he said to the woman, Archbishop Hart told The Age that he was "very annoyed" when the woman came to his house at about 1.20am.

"(She was) ringing and ringing and ringing, I had to go to sleep, I was very tired, I was about to go off to Rome and I went down and I am sure I would have spoken strongly, but what I said I don't recall," he said.

Whelan was accused of sexual abuse by five women over several decades, including one who was just 13 at the time of the alleged abuse.

In 2006 the Catholic Church reached an undisclosed settlement with the woman involved in the 2004 court case.

[Alex Murphy]

Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart

According to court documents, Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart told the woman to "go to hell, bitch" after she knocked on his door in the early hours of a morning in March, 2004...."(She was) ringing and ringing and ringing, I had to go to sleep, I was very tired, I was about to go off to Rome and I went down and I am sure I would have spoken strongly, but what I said I don't recall," he said.

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.
And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.'
For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man,
yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'"
And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?
I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

-- Luke 18:1-8

[hinckley buzzard]

He should have called the police and had her arrested for harrassment or some such, whatever serves in Oz. The sexual abuse hype has really outlived its validity, in the sense that real victims no longer feel obliged to keep it secret for lo! these many years.

[pray4liberty]

The woman was placed under an intervention order after she threw stones through a window of the archbishop's house and harassed him and his staff.

If he wasn't an Archbishop, this would have never made the papers.

That said, most people would have said something a whole lot stronger.

[Oztrich Boy]

He should have called the police and had her arrested for harrassment or some such, whatever serves in Oz.

Oh he did. And two years later paid her a compensation settlement.

The issue has come up again because last month St.Pratrick's church newsletter called Father Bonking Barry a "living treasure", and Archbishop Hart has Chappaquidicked the events of 5 years ago.

[Alex Murphy]

The issue has come up again because last month St.Pratrick's church newsletter called Father Bonking Barry a "living treasure", and Archbishop Hart has Chappaquidicked the events of 5 years ago.

Thanks for the additional details.