CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – Interrupted by jeers from observers, one of Pope Francis’ top advisers on Tuesday denied an accusation that his testimony to an inquiry into child sex abuse was an attempt to deflect blame for the Catholic Church transferring Australia’s worst pedophile priest from parish to parish.
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“Too many were dismissed and sometimes they were dismissed in absolutely scandalous circumstances”, Cardinal Pell said.
Francis brought Pell to Rome two years ago to help clean up the scandal-plagued Vatican finances; the Australian turns 75 in June, the standard age at which church officials retire.
Cardinal Pell, Australia’s most senior Catholic, will be asked whether he knew if paedophiles were active in churches under his watch.
His defenders say he has been made the scapegoat for a problem that long predated him. “I’m not here to defend the indefensible”.
Pell, 74, whose evidence continues tomorrow, became the highest-ranking Vatican official to testify on sexual abuse of children in the Church.
“Unfortunately, original sin is alive and well”, Pell said.
“I think the faults overwhelmingly have been more personal faults, personal failures rather than structures”, he said.
Pell was a consulter for Bishop Ronald Mulkearns at a time when priests were abusing children in Ballarat.
The questioning took place in front of Australian victims, many of whom allege that they were abused by priests under the aide’s supervision.
“The way he [Ridsdale] was dealt with was a catastrophe”, Cardinal Pell said. “The church has made enormous mistakes and is working to remedy those”, Pell said.
Cardinal Pell said moving Ridsdale was unacceptable and at the time the view would have been that he should have been at least sent for counselling as a minimum step if a bishop knew it was a first offence. But Pell also acknowledged that he too had made mistakes in often believing the priests over victims who alleged abuse.
“I must say in those days, if a priest denied such activity, I was very strongly inclined to accept the denial”, Pell said.
Cardinal Pell admitted that he himself had given some priests the benefit of the doubt. Since 2014, the cardinal has headed the newly created Vatican Secretariat for the Economy.
When the younger Ridsdale gave evidence to the Royal Commission last May, he recounted a conversation he had with Pell wherein the cleric allegedly asked him for his silence.
Pell’s request to testify from Rome enraged Australian abuse survivors, who accuse him of cowardice and of doing whatever he could to shield church assets from their lawsuits.
Mr Pell’s testimony came hours before Spotlight, a film based on the true story of a systemic cover-up by the Catholic Church of child sex abuse in the United States, won best picture at the Academy Awards.
The cardinal has denied that he ever offered such a bribe.
“It is very clear of course that the decision is one of the bishop’s, that the consultors only have an advisory capacity and of course all of us have to respect the evidence”, Cardinal Pell said. Numerous victims later died in a cluster of abuse-related suicides.
He said: “When you go to the Vatican, you have basically stepped through the looking glass”.
Pell arrived to testify promptly at 10:00 pm Sunday, and was sworn in, hand on the bible, just minutes later.
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Muttering and laughter broke out as the Cardinal told the inquiry he did not have flawless recall and could not remember some details.
