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Accusations of Abuse in Institutions

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The Press
September 7, 2002

'Dead' nun reported in Chch
NZPA

A nun at the centre of child abuse allegations at a Brisbane orphanage in the 1950s and 1960s, and who was said to be dead, is reported to be living in Christchurch.

In a document filed in the Queensland Supreme Court in July last year, the Sisters of Nazareth said three key figures in the allegations, including Sister Bernard Mary, were no longer alive.

However, Sister Bernard, who is in her 60s, was at present head of the Sisters of Nazareth in New Zealand, The Australian newspaper reported yesterday.

At the time the document was filed, she was understood to be the order's worldwide leader based in London, the newspaper said. The claim she was dead was contained in a statement of defence by the Trustees of the Poor Sisters of Nazareth, the second defendant in a case brought by one of five women seeking compensation for alleged abuse at Nazareth House.

The Melbourne woman, 50, was at the orphanage between the ages of three and 16. She alleges that she was raped by a priest, Father John O'Regan, and frequently assaulted by Sister Bernard and another nun, Sister Philomena.

Sister Bernard, who was second in charge at Nazareth House from 1958 to 1964, has denied all allegations.

The trustees' statement of defence read: "The second defendant has conducted some reasonable inquiries to date, but those inquiries are incomplete and may always be incomplete, inter alia, due to the death of Sister Bernard Mary, Sister Philomena, and Father O'Regan."

The newspaper said the deaths of Sister Philomena and Father O'Regan were not in dispute. It said the order's regional superior, Sister Clare Breen, denied any knowledge of the court document.