Child sexual abuse royal commission: Father John Farrell had 'serious psychological problems'

 

A priest who is being examined by a royal commission into child sexual abuse was an "odd bod" with a narcissistic personality who should never have been accepted into the priesthood, a senior Catholic Church official has said.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Sydney hearing is examining how the dioceses at Armidale in northern New South Wales and Parramatta in Sydney's west responded to allegations made against Father John Joseph Farrell.
Monsignor John Usher, who spent 20 years as director of the Catholic welfare agency Centacare, said he interviewed Farrell for an hour in 1990 and found his ongoing need to spend time with children was a grave concern.
During that meeting, Farrell was purportedly highly critical of the Bishop and priests in Armidale.
"I detected that he had a serious psychiatric illness," Monsignor Usher said.
He told the commission he recommended Farrell see a psychiatrist with experience in dealing with sexual offending by priests.
"I was concerned for this man, Farrell.
"He was an 'odd bod' ... and you know my thinking was 'this man should never have been made a priest. If he keeps asking for ... another appointment or whatever, a Bishop should not do that until they sort out his psychological problems'."

"If he was going to be any good in any role in the future, the poor man needed some help."

Monsignor Usher said he was called to a meeting with Farrell, Father Wayne Peters and Father Brian Lucas around September 1992.
By then, Farrell had been stripped of his faculties as a priest.
Monsignor Usher told counsel assisting the commission Gail Furness SC: "The briefing was that Bishop Manning wants to know if Farrell should be readmitted to ministry."

Monsignor Usher: I was expecting to see a different chap to the one I'd seen two years previously.
Ms Furness: Because you'd assumed he'd been counselled or had some form of treatment?
Monsignor Usher: That's correct. What I saw was not just a man who'd improved in some way. I saw a man who was much worse.

Yesterday, the commission heard from Father Lucas that the information he had about Farrell's "wicked and criminal" conduct was too vague to report to police.

Church official 'naive' about extent of reports to come

Earlier, Monsignor Usher said when allegations of abuse came to his attention, he would encourage complainants to contact police.

 

 

  Photo: John Joseph Farrell (pictured) was described at the hearing as an "odd-bod". (Fairfax Media: Barry Smith, file photo)

But he admitted he was naive to issue a media release in March 1992 in response to a program on the ABC television program Compass.
The report detailed the abuse of women and children by the clergy in the United States.
Monsignor Usher said at the time: "Australia's experience in Centacare would indicate that instances of abuse are much less frequent than suggested in the Compass Program."
He told the commission: "That's probably a bit naive ... but nevertheless I said it."
"I think at that time I didn't realise the extent of the reports that would be made in Australia."
The hearing continues.