Winter Patriot Community Blog

The previous instalment in this series, "Paul Delianis - The Golden Greek", can be read here

THE CATHOLIC MAFIA - The Honourable Society (with apologies to 'Ndrangheta)

The "Catholic Mafia" were/are a co-ordinated group of police officers who are organised around the principle of protecting Catholic priests from criminal charges and prosecution of their criminal behaviour. This behaviour ranges from traffic violations to the raping of children and, as we will see in further episodes, the murder of a Melbourne mother.

What is clear is that the Catholic Church leadership has for decades controlled the Victorian police force when it suits their purposes. The evidence for this is laid out in the following article.

THE POLICE

Denis Ryan was a detective at Mildura in Victoria in 1972 when he was forced through circumstances contrived by Victoria Police leadership to resign. He had the temerity to want to charge and prosecute serial child rapist, Monsignor John Day, Catholic parish priest for Mildura, for his many offences over many years.

Ryan first came across Day when he was a Constable at St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne known widely as the 'red light district' of Melbourne. Day was found in his car in the company of two prostitutes with his pants around his ankles and paralytic drunk. Constable Ryan took Day to the police station and was shocked when he was not charged and was instead released into the company of two young priests who came from the Cathedral after Day managed to make a call to the Cathedral for help. Ryan thought that priests should be held to a higher standard rather than a lower one.

Later that evening, when Ryan approached the senior officer in charge, Tom Jenkins, saying, “Tell me, what's the drill when we lock up priests?”
Tom replied somewhat chillingly, “We don't lock them up. We let them go. Once you've been around for a while, you'll start to learn that the Catholic Church carries a good deal more clout than the local church on the corner.
It's a political organisation. It has wrapped itself around every layer of government. This happens everywhere. All across Australia and probably all over the world. But nowhere does the Catholic Church have more power than it does in the Victorian police force. Short of a murder blue, he'll walk every time.
Nothing would happen to Day. This goes all the way to the top. It's just not the police. It's the judges, lawyers, politicians. I don't agree with it but there are forces at work here that are stronger than you or me. I learnt early on in the job, don't pick fights you can't win.”
http://casefilepodcast.com/case-34-catholic-mafia/ (05:50min)

This is in 1956. Welcome to the Catholic Mafia, a group within Victoria Police that would keep the priests immune from being charged for any crime. The priests had carte blanche.

The next time Denis Ryan would knowingly come into contact with the Catholic Mafia was after he had became a detective in 1958. Det Sgt Fred Russell approached him to join their ranks saying, “There is a group of us who at the request of the Cathedral look into instances where priests have been charged with offences to see if we can have these matters dropped or dismissed so the church's good name will not be brought into disrepute. We know your strong belief. We'd like to invite you to join us.”
A group of police keeping a look out for and protecting priests; the Catholic Mafia.
http://casefilepodcast.com/case-34-catholic-mafia/ (08:30min)
Ryan declined to join.