CARDINAL George Pell Backs out of Giving Evidence at Royal Commission into Clergy Abuse

9 News
December 11, 2015

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/12/11/16/57/cardinal-george-pell-backs-out-of-giving-evidence-at-royal-commission-into-clergy-abuse

Cardinal George Pell. (AAP)

Catholic Cardinal George Pell has deferred giving evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, despite being due to arrive in Melbourne on Sunday.

Cardinal Pell had requested to give evidence via videolink from Rome, with his lawyers arguing it was unsafe for him to travel to Australia due to health issues.

He was due to arrive in Melbourne on Sunday, and appear before the inquiry from Wednesday to give evidence about clergy abuse in the Melbourne archdiocese and the Ballarat diocese.

A statement was released this afternoon from the office of Cardinal Pell in Rome.

"The Cardinal had booked his travel back to Melbourne and until the middle of this week was determined to return to give evidence in person," the statement read.

"The Cardinal has suffered from a heart condition for some time but his symptoms have recently worsened, with a specialist cardiologist in Rome advising only a few days ago that it is not safe for him to undertake long haul flights in his current condition.

"Cardinal Pell realises there may be some who will question the decision to remain in Rome; however it would be unwise for him not to heed medical advice."

Cardinal Pell's health will be monitored by his specialists in Rome.

Commission chairman Justice Peter McClellan said Cardinal Pell will now have to give evidence in Ballarat in February.

"In the hope that the cardinal's health will improve, rather than take video evidence this week, we will defer his evidence to the Ballarat sitting in both the Ballarat and Melbourne case studies," he said.

"If the cardinal's health has not sufficiently improved by then to enable him to travel, we will further consider the position, which may include further delaying his evidence to a date when he can travel safely to Australia."

The decision was met with applause from the public gallery in the Melbourne courtroom where clergy abuse victims have been following the inquiry.

One man stood up in the courtroom and asked the commission have doctors examine Cardinal Pell before apologising for his outburst.

Justice McClennan said that while Cardinal Pell had previously given evidence from Rome, it was not appropriate this time as the issues before the commission were complex and involve two case studies covering an extensive period of time.