Over a dozen survivors of abuse by priests came from Australia to be a reminding presence to the sullen-looking cardinal as he spoke about what he knew some thirty years ago and when he actually knew it. He surmised Bishop Mulkearns could have wanted to protect consultors from culpability and avoid being challenged by them, calling the bishop’s behavior “extraordinary and reprehensible” and saying he could not name another bishop whose actions were so grave and inexplicable. It was Monday in Rome when he testified.
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Cardinal Pell told the Royal Commission that, as a consultor, he never received information that would indicate that Father Gerald Ridsdale had committed a string of serious offenses.
“He confirmed several times that pedophilia was never discussed during consultors” meetings, pointing out that this was consistent with the unanimous evidence of other consultors who had already appeared before the commission.
One of Pope Francis’ top advisers told an Australian inquiry into child sex abuse today that an Australian bishop had deceived him about the reason a pedophile priest was repeatedly transferred from parish to parish.
He admitted that the city state had always tried to keep its problems “in-house”, but swore its workings would from then on be “transparent” – in a statement to the press which intensely irritated many in Saint Peter’s corridors of power.
Pell has maintained he was kept in the dark by church officials about specific allegations about child abusing clergy.
The cardinal made strong denials to the evidence of a number of witnesses who have told the commission he ignored their complaints about pedophile priests and brothers.
It provoked another hard exchange over what the cardinal knew at the time, with McClellan attempting to clarify his response, asking “You mean it was not inappropriate to move someone who might be moved to a different location where they could continue to offend but against different children?” Previous sessions have run from about 10 p.m.to 2 a.m.to accommodate the commission in Australia, which is 10 hours later than Rome.
“The fact that he is spending obscene amounts of money on lawyers says very clearly that he’s still after protecting himself, the history of the Church, the Church’s assets et cetera from any claims that the sexual assault victims may have against the organisation”, he added.
But on Thursday morning survivor Andrew Collins said they would be part of a meeting with the Cardinal, and they were hopeful it would not be in small groups.
“My whole assumption… was that the brothers would be dealing adequately with the matter”, Pell said.
Furness told Pell that Ridsdale’s crimes were not “secret”, since they were common knowledge in the towns of Apollo Bay and Inglewood where Ridsdale had been the parish priest and police had reported their suspicions to the church.
The victims announced on Wednesday that they had requested a meeting with the pope before they return to Australia on Friday.
Mr Nagle said that some did it indirectly after years of alcoholism and drug use, because they couldn’t deal with what was done to them. The panel isn’t investigating Cardinal Pell or any individual priest over alleged abuse.
Pell will testify for a fourth day on Thursday.
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Woods said it was clear that Pell, the former Archbishop of Melbourne who once shared a home with one of Australia’s most notorious paedophile priests, was using power and money to dodge his Ballarat responsibilities. “Perhaps others will also be arriving from there and other places around Europe”, said the cardinal’s personal secretary, Fr. Mark Withoos, in an email sent to undisclosed recipients a few days before the proceedings got underway.
