Why doesn’t the Catholic Church de-frock priests who abuse
children? It’s a question that perturbs Richard Scorer as he considers
the case of paedophile priest Father William Green, who taught at St
Bede’s College in Whalley Range.
Green admitted 27 assaults on children in his care and was jailed for
six years in October 2008 for ‘systematically’ sexually abusing a string
of boys over 20 years ago. But Mr Scorer, who acted for Green’s victims
against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford – the diocese includes St
Bede’s – is concerned that Green has yet to be laicized (de-frocked).