Abuse royal commission: priest ‘lied to protect friend George Pell’

By Tessa Akerman
Australian
December 17, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/jb7fjbj

A Melbourne priest has been ­accused of fabricating parts of his statement to the child sex abuse royal commission to save his “good friend” Cardinal George Pell.

Father John Walshe told the commission he was living with Cardinal Pell in Mentone in Melbourne’s southeast when abuse victim David Ridsdale called the then bishop one morning in February 1993.

He recalled an ashen faced Cardinal Pell had said: “David is a mess.’’

Mr Ridsdale previously told the commission that he called Cardinal Pell in the morning and spoke about his uncle, former priest Gerald Ridsdale, abusing him. He claimed Cardinal Pell had said he wanted to know what it would take to keep Mr Ridsdale quiet.

Documents tendered to the commission show that Father Walshe’s draft statement put the phone call between Cardinal Pell and Mr Ridsdale in the late afternoon or evening.

Father Walshe told the commission he had conflated watching Cardinal Pell accompany Gerald Ridsdale to court on the television in the evening and ­Cardinal Pell receiving the call.