Catholic school refused to remove paedophile priest from honour roll

A unfortunate of clerical maltreatment astatine Salesian College is demanding that disgraced erstwhile teacher Father Bill Edwards beryllium permanently removed from the school’s honour rotation and hallway of fame.

The man, who asked not to beryllium identified due to the fact that helium is simply a unfortunate of intersexual abuse, sent a missive to main Mark Ashmore astir 2 years ago, asking the Catholic assemblage to halt eulogising Edwards, who died successful 2010.

Disgraced teacher Bill Edwards, who worked astatine respective colleges tally by the Salesians of Don Bosco, is inactive eulogised by the Salesians.

“Your schoolhouse website describes his ‘fifty years of unthinkable service’ and refers to him arsenic ‘a large man’,” the missive from July 2022, seen by The Age, says.

The missive besides quotes the erstwhile caput of the Salesians describing Edwards arsenic “perhaps the Australian Salesian who astir intimately resembled Don Bosco himself”.

It continues: “Actually, Edwards was a paedophile. I cognize that due to the fact that helium violently sexually assaulted maine connected a twelvemonth 7 campy erstwhile I was a pupil astatine different Salesian schoolhouse successful the aboriginal 1990s.”

The Salesian bid was made alert of Edwards’ shocking maltreatment successful 2011, erstwhile the victim’s parent informed Father Francis Moloney, who was the Provincial of the Salesians successful Australia-Pacific astatine the time.

“They didn’t wage maine retired of kindness. It was compensation for the abuse. So wherefore are they inactive celebrating his life?”

Her lad received an apology from Moloney, who besides expressed a “deep sadness” that Edwards’ bequest would beryllium tarnished by the allegations of clerical abuse.

“What your parent has told me, though she did not spell into details, is tragic successful the utmost for each who person known and loved Fr Bill Edwards. It is adjacent much tragic, however, for you,” Moloney said successful a missive to the unfortunate connected July 29, 2011.

In August 2021, the unfortunate launched civilian enactment successful the Supreme Court of Victoria against the Salesian Society and Archbishop Peter Comensoli.

According to the writ, the lad was 12 erstwhile helium began astatine St Joseph’s College successful Ferntree Gully successful 1990, and attended a campy that was supervised by Edwards, who was a teacher and rector astatine the Salesian-run school.

Salesian College successful Chadstone.

Edwards was accused successful tribunal documents of forcing the lad to execute a intersexual act, aft dragging him from bed.

The Salesians settled the lawsuit successful June 2022 with a outgo of much than $1 million, but continued to admit Edwards’ publication to the college.

“He walked alongside each those who suffered done the ‘valley of darkness’, consoling, comforting and reassuring them of God’s beingness and love,” according to a website for the school’s honour roll.

The erstwhile rector of Salesian College successful Chadstone Fr Frank Bertagnolli besides provided a glowing tribute to Edwards connected the website.

“The tone of Salesianity that inactive lives connected contiguous is simply a effect of the large contributions Fr Bill Edwards has made to the constitution of the college,” Bertagnolli said connected the website.

Salesian College successful Chadstone and the Salesians of Don Bosco Provincial Centre did not respond to emails oregon telephone calls from this masthead.

However, the assemblage abruptly removed Edwards’ illustration from its honour rotation website connected Monday, aft receiving requests for comment.

The antheral abused by Edwards is furious that the assemblage ignored his repeated requests to close the record.

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“They didn’t wage maine retired of kindness. It was compensation for the abuse. So wherefore are they inactive celebrating his life?

“What are they much funny in, protecting the estimation of a dormant paedophile, oregon looking aft the intelligence wellness of his victims?” the antheral told The Age connected the information of anonymity.

Rightside Legal spouse Grace Wilson said she was baffled by the college’s nonaccomplishment to respond to her client’s requests.

“Institutions similar the Salesians behave arsenic good arsenic they are forced to, and nary better,” Wilson said.

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