The recent news of a prominent Catholic Church figure committing grievous sexual offences has attracted a considerable amount of controversy.
Central to this controversy was the decision by a superior of the Religious Order not to file a police report when the crimes first came to light.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore has finally started to provide more clarity on the matter. It stated that the superior of the Order had not done so to respect the wishes of the victims involved in the case.
It also requested for the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to partially lift the gag order on the offender’s identity, which the AGC rejected.
On Sunday (5 Jun), the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore published a statement on its official website.
Source: Cathedral of the Good Shepherd
It asked the Religious Order for more information regarding the case. After which, the Religious Order gave its statement, addressing specific details of the incident.
According to the statement issued by the Religious Order, one of the victims had confided in a local leader in 2009 after both had left the school.
The superior of the Order for Singapore then conducted an investigation. At the time, the local leader and the aforementioned superior were the only two people in the Religious Order who were aware of the matter.
The victims were interviewed and received counselling support. They were repeatedly informed they could make a police report and be accompanied to the police station if they did so.
However, the victims refused and wanted to keep the offences private. The superior did not file the report out of respect for their stated wishes and requested privacy.
Instead, he focused on what to do with the offender, who was remorseful and willing to accept all consequences.
The superior immediately proceeded to remove the offender from his position. He further banned him from school premises to prevent further contact with the victims or minors.
The superior then sent the offender for treatment, therapy and rehabilitation, starting with a six-month programme in the United States paid for by the Religious Order.
The Order then followed the recommendations of the treatment centre, one of which was to refrain from placing the offender in any setting that involves working with minors.
Hence, the Order posted him to a different country, where he could engage in work that did not involve any minors.
The local religious superiors in the area were also informed on the offender’s background and key restrictions of his recovery programme.
The superior of the Order for Singapore continued to monitor the offender during his work, checking in on whether the recovery programme had been adhered to, as well as his commitment to therapy and recovery.
The Religious Order also added that there were no other victims. This was confirmed by the offender.
Subsequently, the offender returned to Singapore in 2020 to renew his visa but could not leave due to pandemic restrictions. When his actions came to light to the school board in late 2020, the Religious Order informed the Archbishop in Oct 2020.
The Archbishop gave instructions for the matter to be reported to the police.
After an internal inquiry, the board and the Religious Order decided to make a police report. The Chairman of the Board then lodged a police report on 10 May 2021.
The Religious Order has fully cooperated with the authorities in investigations.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore had made a request to the AGC for a partial lifting of the gag order in relation to the offender’s identity for “greater accountability and transparency in the matter”.
It wanted to reveal the offender’s identity, the name of the order, and information about his subsequent treatment and postings to the public.
However, the AGC has denied the request after careful consideration.
Source: Attorney-General’s Chambers
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese concluded the statement by emphasising the grievous nature of the matter and the importance of a safe environment for minors.
It said it takes such issues seriously and regularly reviews protocols for the protection of the young through the Professional Standards Office.
It stated the Religious Orders and all religious sponsoring authorities for Catholic Schools have been reminded about their obligation in immediately reporting incidents of sexual abuse against minors or the vulnerable.
They also need to keep the Archbishop of the Catholic Church informed.
It ended by reiterating the Church “will not tolerate behaviour by clergy or religious that will put others at risk”.
It is truly deplorable to exploit the trust of minors on the grounds of sacred religious institutions.
As such, authorities should take all measures possible to ensure the safety and security of minors in such premises. One way is to adhere strictly to the protocols if and when these incidents occur.
Hopefully, there are now safeguards in place that will prevent repeat offences from occurring.
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Featured image adapted from The Cathedral Of The Good Shepherd.
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