Priest Blames Rape & Murder Of Jill Meagher To Faithlessness; Church Apologises

Monsignor Greg Bennett apologised after one of the church’s priests allegedly made inappropriate comments about the murder of Jill Meagher. He said the church will recommend guidelines on “training and cultural understanding.” He added that the priest, whose name was not disclosed, was apologetic. Bennett is the vicar-general of the archdiocese of Melbourne.

The controversy sparked when the said priest, while giving his homily before a 100-crowd at a Catholic primary school in Melbourne, held up a newspaper clipping about the 29-year-old Irish Meagher, who was raped and murdered in September 2012. He preached that had Jill Meagher been more “faith-filled, she would have been home in bed” and “not walking down Sydney road at 3 am.”

Acknowledging the homily was not appropriate, Bennett told 3AW the church did not support those views and that he was sorry for the offence and upset it has caused. Meanwhile, Shane Healy, a spokesperson for the church, narrated to The Guardian that immediately after uttering the comments, the priest “had been spoken to,” and the “church had apologised.” He said the senior church officials had met over the weekend and a “series of steps” were being implemented on Monday to prevent similar comments from being made in the future. He was mum, however, about whether the priest was given any disciplinary action.

Stupid And Idiotic

The priest’s allegedly offensive comment gained mixed reactions from civic groups and the victim’s family. The Independent wrote that Meagher’s family branded the priest “stupid and “idiotic.” Joan Meagher, Jill’s mother, was quoted she was “shocked” by the priest’s “ridiculous comments.” She added that he has offended a lot of people and the murder has nothing to do with anything, except the man who murdered Jill.

Victorian Centre Against Sexual Assault’s convener, Jane Vanderstoel, welcomed the actions taken by the church to introduce guidelines. She told The Guardian that the church struggles and sometimes, older men struggle. She believes that guidelines and training are essential to challenge these attitudes and the church also needs to come out strongly to say it is not a view held by the church as an organisation.

Adrian Ernest Bayley was sentenced to life imprisonment.

For comments or feedback on the article, please contact the writer at selivak@ibtimes.com.au.