New road beckons for Bishop Malone

Multiple child sexual abuse cases involving the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese have left Bishop Michael Malone ‘‘disillusioned’’ and longing for early retirement.

Bishop Malone, 71, was appointed head of Maitland-Newcastle Diocese in 1995 and over the past 15 years has presided over a string of high-profile paedophile priest cases in the Hunter.

He requested the appointment of a coadjutor bishop from Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 to share his workload, but is yet to receive one.

‘‘I have been waiting for a coadjutor but now I’m looking towards full retirement in 2011,’’ Bishop Malone said.

‘‘As soon as I hear from the Pope I’ll move into the sunset and hit the road as a grey nomad.’’

The traditional retirement age of a bishop is 75 but Bishop Malone said he was unable to face another three to four years in the top job.

‘‘I’m emotionally drained by what has happened [sexual abuse cases] and feel disillusioned,’’ he said.

‘‘I love the Church but I am very aware of its faults.’’

He said the knowledge his colleagues had committed abhorrent crimes against children still kept him awake at night.

‘‘I toss and turn at night over the sex abuse committed by clergy and experience a lot of anxiety,’’ Bishop Malone said.

The fallout from the sex abuse scandal has been widespread and led to criticism of Bishop Malone from his own priests.

‘‘The priests believe I have not been supportive of them but I have responsibilities to the NSW Ombudsman,’’ Bishop Malone said.

‘‘It is my job to be both pastor and policeman for the diocese.’’

The issue of sexual abuse in the Church is not only a Catholic problem but one that has plagued the Anglican diocese of Newcastle in recent months.

Bishop Malone said he had spoken to his good friend Bishop Brian Farran about the scandal he was facing and offered his support.

‘‘He’s a good friend and we have often cried on each other’s shoulder,’’ Bishop Malone said.

‘‘I told him to hang in there and do what is right and that is to confront these matters head on.’’

Bishop Malone said he had been asked to suggest candidates for his successor but there was no way of knowing when the decision would be made or if the new bishop would be from the Hunter or outside the diocese.

Looking back over 2010, which included the launch of a formal investigation by Newcastle police into allegations Bishop Malone was involved in an attempted secret defrocking of Hunter paedophile priest Denis McAlinden and the publishing in the Newcastle Herald of an extraordinary full page apology for the handling of child sexual abuse cases in the diocese, Bishop Malone said it had not been a bad year.

‘‘We have had much worse years than we had in 2010 and my spirits are high for 2011,’’ he said.

‘‘I have a strong sense we are coming to the end of the 16-year process relating to sexual abuse.’’

SIC: NH/AUS