A priest who raised concerns over the asylum
seekers held at a detention centre in Queensland said the Diocese of
Cairns has been told he is no longer welcome to visit the centre,
reports the Cairns Post.
Father Lawrie Bissett, the
administrator of the Sacred Heart Mission Parish on Thursday Island, was
disgusted by the conditions detainees were kept in after he visited
Scherger detention centre at Weipa last month.
He raised concerns about
an inmate's suicide attempt and the lack of support services inside the
centre.
Since then, he said the department had informed the Diocese of Cairns
he was no longer welcome back at Scherger: "The parish told me that
(the department) is not very happy with me, and they no longer want me
to go in," Fr Bissett said.
"Apparently it's because I mentioned the suicide attempt – that's what they told me."
A Department of Immigration spokeswoman denied Fr Bissett had been
banned from visiting the detention centre, and that he remained "free to
make requests to visit individual clients, and any such request would
be considered in line with our visitor policy".
"If it did not endanger the chance of the parish of Weipa who have
come together in love and service and faith to visit Scherger once a
week with prayer, song, conversation, camaraderie, food and
encouragement, I would like to stand at the gates of Scherger with my
placard 'Set the prisoners free, Jesus'," Fr Bissett said.