Christian Brothers kept nine child abusers in religious order due to Gospel imperative to help ‘the needy’, court documents reveal | Catholicism

The Christian Brothers deliberately kept nine convicted child molesters, one of whom is currently behind bars, as members of its religious sect because it says it has a “Biblical obligation” to “all Brothers” and to “care for the needy.”

Court documents also reveal that the head of the Christian Brothers of Oceania met with representatives of the Vatican for support six months before declaring himself bankrupt and unable to meet survivors’ claims of abuse, but received no financial assistance.

The Christian Brothers on Thursday obtained a moratorium on all current and future civil claims by abuse survivors, throwing dozens of pending cases into chaos and stalling hundreds more.

The order says it is about to go bankrupt and cannot meet the demands of its survivors. Instead, he is proposing a plan that would sell his remaining estate, worth about $217 million, and split the proceeds to pay survivors.

In an affidavit submitted by Brother Gerard John Brady, president of the Christian Brothers Oceania province, the court was told that approximately 176 brothers were still on mission, mostly in Australia.

Nine of them are convicted child sex offenders. One is behind bars. The existing siblings were accused of child abuse.

Br Brady said the order’s Oceania leadership team decided to keep them in order as brothers.

“While expulsion of a criminal from the Christian Brothers is an obvious option for us, I believe this is not always an appropriate response,” he said. “Housing known sex offenders in the wider community after discharge continues to be a difficult issue for society. [Oceania leadership team] “He believes that the Christian Brothers have obligations both to society and to the criminal.”

He said criminals would become “a burden to be shouldered by taxpayers” if they spread throughout society because they often have no means of financial support.

The leadership team also took the view that it was their responsibility to “take care of those in need.”

“We also…have an obligation under canon law to care for all Brothers,” he said. “We recognize that this philosophy requires us to continue our communication and support with individuals found to have committed serious criminal offences. We view this as a biblical imperative.”

“We recognize that victims and members of the wider community may interpret such support as favoring the interests of offenders over victims. However, we are conscious of ensuring that our support for the Brotherhood does not undermine the pursuit of justice for victims and survivors or compromise the protection of victims and survivors.”

If an offender lives in the larger community without the support of the congregation, “they may not seek or receive treatment for their aggressive behavior,” he said.

“We believe that if the Christian Brothers keep an offender within the Community, we can monitor his behavior and support treatment,” he said. “We take responsibility for doing so. We believe the community is more likely to be protected by an offender who remains part of the community and is monitored.”

The affidavit also reveals that Mr Brady met with representatives of the Vatican, the center of Catholic power in the Vatican and the institution that represents the Pope’s authority, to seek support. The meetings took place starting in January.

Br Brady said the interaction was part of a broader appeal to other Catholic institutions to warn them of the Christian Brothers Oceania province’s “serious financial situation and the expectation that it will face bankruptcy in the near future”.

Brady also asked whether other agencies “could provide any support to the State (the nature of the support depending on the agency and its circumstances).”

“No financial support came,” he wrote in his statement.

One of the other institutions from which the Christian Brothers seek support is Edmund Rice Education Australia. This organization was founded in 2007 and currently operates former Christian Brothers schools in Australia.

Large tracts of land have been transferred from the Christian Brothers to EREA in the last decade.

Property records show the transfers included multimillion-dollar homes in Sydney; These include a five-bedroom Strathfield home with a backyard pool worth an estimated $4.7 million.

A property transfer document signed by Peter Clinch, former president of the Christian Brothers in Oceania, reveals that the house was given to Edmund Rice for $1.

EREA said it would not sell its properties to help the Christian Brothers.

But the Christian Brothers say they won’t try to stop survivors from suing EREA. The property transfers are estimated to be worth $540 million, but EREA financial documents show it received $891 million worth of land from the Christian Brothers.

• Children, young adults, parents and teachers in Australia Child Helpline 1800 55 In 1800 or Bravehearts Call 1800 272 831 and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation From 1300 657 380. in the UK, NSPCC It offers support to children on 0800 1111 and adults caring for a child on 0808 800 5000. National Association of People Abused in Childhood (napak) offers support to adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US, call or text: child allowance Abuse hotline at 800-422-4453. You can find other help resources at: Child Helplines International