Documentary record Bound by Fear
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Other Christian institutions & contexts Other or denomination not established Newcastle, NSW, Australia · 2017

Royal Commission Case Study 42: Anglican Diocese of Newcastle's 'do nothing' response

Record class

Institutional event

Evidence status

Official finding

Authority role

Anglican bishops and clergy of the Diocese of Newcastle

Organization

Anglican Diocese of Newcastle

Spiritual nexus

Episcopal and clerical authority over parishioners and children in church-run homes (including St Alban's) is what both enabled abuse by clergy and suppressed reporting for decades.

  • Institutional obedience or isolation
  • Pastoral or clerical authority

Evidence structure

Proceedings

  1. 2017-11-01 · royal commission finding

    Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australia — Case Study 42. The Commission found the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle took a 'do nothing' approach to child sexual abuse allegations during Bishop Alfred Holland's episcopate (1978-1992) and under his successor Bishop Roger Herft, who showed 'a distinct lack of leadership.' Alleged perpetrators, including James Michael Brown and Peter Rushton, were not reported to police despite direct admissions made to bishops.

Documented coercion mechanisms

  • episcopal and clerical pastoral authority
  • institutional non-reporting to police despite repeated admissions and complaints

Primary record

Sources

official statutory inquiry report inquiry report Royal Commission, 'Case Study 42: Anglican Diocese of Newcastle.'

Official case-study page and findings report.

regional newspaper court reporting background Newcastle Herald, 'Late Newcastle Anglican Bishop condemned for do nothing response to criminal James Michael Brown.'

Local press corroboration of the finding and Brown's case.

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