Pell Must Give Evidence in Australia

Sky News
December 11, 2015

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/national/2015/12/12/pell-must-give-evidence-in-australia.html

Cardinal George Pell's appearance at the child abuse royal commission has been deferred, but he's been told he must still come to Australia to give evidence in person.

The commission has rejected a bid by Cardinal Pell to give his evidence via videolink from Rome after his lawyers argued it would unsafe for him to travel to Australia due to serious health issues.

Cardinal Pell was to appear before the inquiry in Melbourne from Wednesday to give evidence about clergy abuse in the Melbourne archdiocese and the Ballarat diocese.

Commission chair 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,' Justice McClellan 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 many clergy abuse victims have been closely following the inquiry.

Cardinal Pell's barrister Allan Myers QC had asked that he be allowed to give evidence via videolink from Rome, as he has done previously.

Mr Myers said Cardinal Pell had wanted to come to Australia to give evidence in person.

'It's not reasonably possible for him to do so because of health difficulties that have been exacerbated, in his case, in recent times,' he said on Friday.

'Cardinal Pell deeply regrets this and has been preparing himself for this journey for some time but the circumstances in which he finds himself are the circumstances that exist now.

'He doesn't wish to delay the hearing of his evidence before the commission.' One man got up in the courtroom and asked that the commission have doctors examine Cardinal Pell, before apologising for his outburst.

The nature of Cardinal Pell's health issues has not been revealed, although Mr Myers mentioned 'a figure concerning blood pressure'.

Justice McClellan said there was an opinion of a doctor in Rome as to the cardinal's present condition as well as various medical reports, some in Italian.

Cardinal Pell's solicitors have told the commission the cardinal is affected by serious health conditions that in the opinion of his treating specialists make his travel to Australia unsafe, and asked that he give his evidence via videolink from Rome.

They had asked that the letter be kept confidential but Justice McClellan said that was not appropriate.

'The commissioners understand the nature of the cardinal's health issues and would not wish to take any step which might exacerbate them,' Justice McClellan said.

But he said the issues before the commission were complex, it involved two case studies covering an extensive period of time and there were technical issues the last time Cardinal Pell gave evidence from Rome.

It was preferable that his evidence be given in Australia, Justice McClellan said.

Cardinal Pell has suffered from a heart condition for some time but his symptoms have recently worsened, a statement from his office in Rome said.

A specialist cardiologist in Rome advised a few days ago that it was not safe for him to undertake long-haul flights in his current condition, the statement said.

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

'The cardinal has consistently expressed his intention to do everything possible to assist the work of the royal commission.' Abuse Pell Update 5 Melbourne (pics/video to come)

David Ridsdale, a victim and nephew of Australia's worst pedophile priest Gerald Francis Ridsdale, said he was disgusted that Cardinal Pell had tried to avoid giving evidence in person.

'I have spent the last year dealing with this stress,' he told reporters.

Mr Ridsdale, who flew from London to Melbourne for the hearing, said he did not know the extent of Cardinal Pell's health issues.

'I'm not disappointed. I'm furious.

'It's fairly simple: he needs to come and answer some questions. It's not that difficult.

'I would implore Cardinal Pell to come and face the music like all of us men have had to do for all these years.'