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THE Anglican church had a “caveat list” of priests who should not be given jobs because of convictions or charges against them, Bishop Richard Appleby told the royal commission on Thursday.
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Bishop Appleby said that when he first became a bishop in 1983 the “caveat” list would be an item on the agenda at the annual bishops’ conference.
“We were all given this list and there would be discussion about it and someone would say, I’ve got two more names to add or occasionally someone would say you can take so-and-so off,” Bishop Appleby said.
He said each diocese would keep a copy “in the bottom drawer”. He believed there would have been about 25 to 30 names on the list when he arrived in the diocese in 1983 but by 1985 church leaders had been “told to abandon it” because there were too many “legal” problems with maintaining it.
Commissioner Peter McClellan said the list meant bishops must have been conscious of priests abusing children at the time but Bishop Appleby said he couldn’t recall that being discussed.
