HE WAS the ''right-hand man'' of a bishop, and a one-time acting bishop himself, but priest Tom Brennan has made history for the wrong reasons as the first Australian Catholic priest charged with concealing the alleged child sex crimes of another.

Father Brennan, 74, was arrested and charged yesterday with two counts of misprision of a felony - failing to disclose a serious crime - relating to alleged child sex offences by defrocked priest John Denham against two boys in the late 1970s.

Tom Brennan is the first Australian Catholic priest charged with concealing the alleged sex crimes of another. Credit:Jonathan Carroll

The offences allegedly occurred at St Pius X, Newcastle, NSW, where Father Denham was a teacher and Father Brennan was school principal.

Father Brennan was charged with assaulting the two boys by caning them after they allegedly reported being sexually assaulted by Father Denham, now 70.