Sex inquiry cleric returns

    * January 31, 2010 12:01AM

THE Catholic Church has cleared the way for high-profile priest accused of abuse to return to work.

An Anglican Church inquiry into abuse claims against , Father John Fleming is still under way.

The Sunday Mail has learnt he sought, and was granted, a release of his licence from the Archdiocese of Adelaide earlier this month.

Father Fleming is in the process of being installed in the Diocese of Parramatta, in Sydney.

The move comes almost three months after a lengthy inquiry by Michael Abbott, QC, into the Catholic Church's handling of the allegations against Father Fleming, which found there were shortcomings in its processes.

It also found the church had no jurisdiction to take any disciplinary action against him because he was an Anglican priest when the abuse allegedly occurred.

Archbishop Philip Wilson commissioned the inquiry after the Sunday Mail revealed Father Fleming was the subject of complaints by two females and a male, identified as Jane, Jenny and Richard.

Jane's complaint resulted in a police investigation, but no charges were laid and the file remains open.

A Catholic Church spokesman confirmed Archbishop Wilson had approved Father Fleming's return to the ministry - despite the fact the Anglican Church Professional Standards investigation was still under way.

"Archbishop Wilson has authorised Father John Fleming to resume his ministry and agreed to his request to be released from the Archdiocese of Adelaide," the spokesman said. "Father Fleming is now free to apply for ministry in another diocese."

On Friday, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Parramatta refused to discuss any aspect of Father Fleming's planned transfer.

The development in the case has sparked outrage from the three people at the centre of the allegations. Richard said that as a practising Catholic he felt "very let down by Archbishop Wilson".

"The secrecy and lack of communication suggest the Catholic Church has learnt nothing from the mistakes of the past when it quietly relocated persons accused of impropriety," he said.

He said he had written a 10-page letter to Archbishop Wilson on December 16 suggesting what he thought was a constructive way forward.

Despite a follow-up email on January 10, he said he had not yet had the courtesy of an acknowledgement.

"And now he has done this. I think that is rude and he seems to be treating us with contempt," he said.

Jane also questioned the move, saying she still found it hard to believe that the Catholic Church had "never involved me in any investigation into the allegations".

"The Abbott inquiry only examined the handling of the allegations by the church, not the allegations themselves," she said. "What message is this sending to all victims of abuse?"

Jenny said she believed the church should suspend Father Fleming's licence pending an outcome.

"I wrote to Archbishop Wilson asking him to show leadership and did not get a response," she said.