Two pedophile priests were able to get away with years of abusing children in the NSW Hunter Valley because "a lot of good men did nothing", an inquiry has been told.
A special commission is examining how Catholic church officials and police handled child sex abuse allegations involving priests James Fletcher and Denis McAlinden.
In his final public submission on behalf of whistleblower policeman Peter Fox, lawyer Mark Cohen said on Monday many people had failed to act to protect the child victims.
"A lot of good men have done nothing, and this has allowed the ilk of James Fletcher and Denis McAlinden to do what they did," he said.
In 2002, Mr Cohen said, the then bishop of Maitland, Michael Malone, tipped off Fr Fletcher that police were investigating child sexual abuse allegations against him.
He said it didn't matter that the bishop later apologised for speaking to Fr Fletcher or that Fr Fletcher was ultimately convicted of paedophilia.
It's been claimed by Detective Inspector Fox that church leaders protected the two priests and that police investigations were hampered by a "Catholic mafia" within the force.
Mr Cohen described as "a baseless attack" claims his client had conspired with a journalist to undermine investigations into pedophile priests.
The allegation was made in a submission to the inquiry on behalf of NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione.
"There is no proper basis to come to the conclusion that there was some gross, grubby and black conspiracy, it's absolute nonsense," Mr Cohen said.
"It's a strategy that if enough mud is thrown, some will stick."
The hearing before commissioner Margaret Cunneen has resumed for three days to accept oral submissions summing up aspects of evidence given during eight weeks of public sittings which ended early last month.
A succession of police and priests have denied the allegations against them.
Fr Fletcher died in jail in 2006 while serving time for sexually abusing children.
Fr McAlinden died of cancer in a West Australian Catholic home in 2005.
Mr Cohen will continue his final public submission before the commission on Tuesday.
