Shameful and disgusting': Jill Meagher's husband slams priest for saying his wife ‘should have been home in bed’ on the night she was brutally raped and murdered

Jill's husband Tom says the comments are disgusting and shameful
'What a truly abhorrent message to teach a child,' he says
A priest made controversial comments at a primary school on Friday
The comments related to the death of Melbourne woman Jill Meagher
He said if her faith had been stronger she may not have been killed
She should have been 'home in bed' instead of 'walking the street', he said
Priest's comments are 'ridiculous' Jill's mother-in-law says
A Church official was forced to apologise for the heinous comment

The family of murdered woman Jill Meagher have described a Catholic priest's comments as 'disgusting' and 'stupid' after he told children and parents at a Melbourne primary school that she may not have met such a tragic end had she been 'more faith-filled'.

Radio Station 3AW reported that the priest showed the congregation a picture of Adrian Bayley, the man convicted for the Melbourne woman's brutal rape and murder, before claiming that if Ms Meagher's faith had of been stronger she 'would have been home in bed' instead of 'walking down Sydney Road at 3am'.

Jill Meagher's husband Tom Meagher described the comments as disgusting and shameful.

'How a human being with such dangerous and misogynistic views can be allowed to pass those messages onto children is depressing,' he wrote on Facebook.

'What a truly abhorrent message to teach a child.'

The Age reports Mr Meagher also rejected as a 'complete fabrication' reports he or Jill's family planned legal action against the state of Victoria, by joining a lawsuit with other relatives of people killed by criminals on parole.

Joan Meagher, Jill's mother-in-law, said she was 'shocked' by the priest's 'ridiculous' comments.
Greg Bennet apologised on behalf of the preist and said the 'offensive' comments did not reflect the views of the church

'He's offended a lot of people. This murder has nothing to do with anything - except the guy who killed Jill,' she told the Irish Independent.

'Adrian Bayley was out there that night looking for a victim and found her... It's a stupid thing to say, but I don't care what people like that say.'

She said Jill wasn't particularly religious, but was 'very spiritual'. She also said that Jill and her husband Tom had a very strong code of ethics by which they led their life.

'But she wasn't saying the rosary every night,' she told the Irish Independent. 'Even religious people get killed in not-so-nice ways.'

At least 100 people, including students, staff and parents, witnessed the comments at St Christopher's Primary School at Airport West on Friday.

Monsignor Greg Bennett, vicar-general of the archdiocese of Melbourne, condemned the priest's homily on Friday and said the 'offensive' comments did not represent the views of the church.

'We do not share the sentiment of the homily this morning and we certainly apologise for the hurt that this homily may have caused today,' he told 3AW.

'The reference to Jill Meagher in particular was offensive and inappropriate and the people of Victoria and Ireland mourn her sad and tragic death.'

He said he has spoken with the priest who acknowledges that the homily was not appropriate and apologises for the 'upset' and 'offence' it may have caused.

Carolyn Worth, manager of the South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault, told Fairfax media that the comments were an 'extreme' form of 'victim blaming'.

'This is about a violent, dangerous man who attacked somebody. It's not about what she was doing,' she said.

The revelations come amid comments from Victoria police, spurred by the stabbing murder of Masa Vukotic, warning women to take reasonable precautions when walking in parks at night, and if possible avoid it all together

Ms Worth said women 'have a right' to walk the streets alone without fearing an attack from a 'dangerous predator'.

'It's offensive to all women, certainly to Jill Meagher's family. In some ways it's insulting to religious people too because it isn't about being out at 3am,' she said.

'[Masa Vukotic] was out at 7pm at a time lots of us would be out walking. You expect to be safe from being attacked at any of those times.

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'To have someone suggest that the problem is that you don't believe in God enough is ignoring completely what actually happens when there are dangerous men out attacking people.'

Mr Bayley was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of raping and killing Ms Meagher in a Brunswick laneway in September 2012.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3016358/Jill-Meaghers-family-hit-priests-disgusting-comment-home-bed-night-brutally-raped-murdered.html#ixzz3Vn29alsY
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FFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What an absolute twat!!!!!!

agree with eddie

and it not like it was a dangerous area (restaurants, trendy bars and shops) it is generally somewhere you shouldn't feel unsafe even at 3am.
AND the guys is charged with like a dozen other rape assault crimes. the guy is just evil and should never have been let out the first time

I fail to see how the church can let this man continue in his post, after all, it was children in a school he said this to, complete and utter twat!

It's actually a very dangerous idea to put in to a young boy's head too: It was the woman's fault....

"he acknowledges that the homily was not appropriate and apologises for the upset and offence it may have caused". ........well that makes everything okey Foley then ........

MAY HAVE CAUSED???????!!!!!!!!!????????

supersized asshat

HOW MANY times do we see these twat-brained priests/ministers/rabbis/muftis, business or community 'leaders', politicians, police 'chiefs' or magistrates, repeatedly speaking out of turn and in such an ill-considered and self-centric or dogmatic manner  !?!

PUBLIC figures who are expected to know better and to display some good judgement, understanding and respect for victims and community feelings ~ and who should know when to stay quiet..

ESPECIALLY when they know that their own thoughts run counter to local and national community feelings, and will surely raise just this kind of angst and reactions.    

Lone Wolf wrote:

HOW MANY times do we see these twat-brained priests/ministers/rabbis/muftis, business or community 'leaders', politicians, police 'chiefs' or magistrates, repeatedly speaking out of turn and in such an ill-considered and self-centric or dogmatic manner  !?!

PUBLIC figures who are expected to know better and to display some good judgement, understanding and respect for victims and community feelings ~ and who should know when to stay quiet..

ESPECIALLY when they know that their own thoughts run counter to local and national community feelings, and will surely raise just this kind of angst and reactions.    

maybe because they have supersized overinflated egos and just KNOW they have all the right answers.........pfft