Royal Commission: vandals lash Catholic Church in graffiti messages

By Shannon Deery
Herald Sun
November 24, 2015

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Graffiti is cleaned off the wall of the Melbourne County Court. Photo by Nicole Garmston

Graffiti on the side of the County Court in Melbourne.

VANDALS have lashed out at court and church buildings across the city over the Catholic Church’s handling of sex abuse cases.

Just a day after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse continued its probe of the Melbourne Archdiocese vandals attacked the church’s Melbourne headquarters.

Graffiti was sprayed across the Catholic Archdiocese offices in East Melbourne, while at the County Court, where the commission is sitting, vandals also sprayed sledges aimed at key church figures.

The graffiti was covered and painted over earlier today.

Cardinal George Pell will return to Melbourne next month to answer allegations he covered up abuse cases, ignored complaints of assaults and tried to bribe a victim of stay silent about being molested. He has consistently denied the allegations.

The Royal Commission is examining the Church’s handling of abuse cases between until 1996, when Cardinal Pell took over as Melbourne Archbishop.