Victims Demand Truth about Church Abuse
By Peta Carlyon
Victims of child sexual abuse gathered at Parliament House in Melbourne before the appearance by Catholic Cardinal George Pell before the Victorian abuse inquiry. A handful of abuse victims stood on the steps of Parliament holding red signs calling on Cardinal Pell to tell the truth. Valda Hogan, 66, and her brother were both victims of abuse. Ms Hogan was abused in church and state-run orphanages and was 50-years-old before she learned to read or write. She used to draw pictures to express her feelings She had at least one child, a daughter, to an abuser and put her up for adoption. "It's disgusting, degrading, deceitful and dishonest," Ms Hogan said of the church's response to complaints of child abuse. She says although her brother has now passed away, she has never given up on justice for them both. "My dad was an alcoholic and my mum couldn't cope with eight of us," she said. "So we all got put in homes to get a good life. But we didn't get a good life. "You don't believe it until you hear from people who've been through it. It's very hard," she said. Leonie Sheedy, of the victims' rights group Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN), called on Cardinal Pell to acknowledge the truth and apologise. "It's very interesting that the Premier of Victoria has come out and advised Cardinal Pell to be honest, and frank," she said. "That's pretty amazing, in my lifetime, that the highest representative of government sends a message to the Cardinal. How amazing is that? "I'm hoping he'll be honest and say these people deserve justice". The Catholic Church has so far said at least 620 Victorian children were abused at the hands of its clergy.
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