Cardinal George Pell to give evidence to child abuse royal commission via video link from Rome

By Lisa Millar, Michelle Brown
ABC News
February 28, 2016

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-29/cardinal-george-pell-gives-evidence-child-abuse-royal-commission/7202302

Cardinal Pell has been called to give evidence about two case studies.

Cardinal George Pell is giving evidence to the child abuse royal commission this morning, with his testimony delivered via video link from a Rome hotel.Australia's most senior Catholic arrived at the Hotel Quirinale three hours before the hearing, which is due to begin at 10:00pm local time (8:00am AEDT).

His sister told reporters Cardinal Pell had spent the day resting and praying ahead of his appearance.

About 160 people are expected in the room to witness Cardinal Pell's appearance where he'll be asked about Catholic abuse in Ballarat and Melbourne.

Earlier on Sunday abuse survivors who travelled from Australia paid an emotional visit to the Vatican area but did not go inside, saying they did not want to listen to the Pope's Sunday address.

Speaking near the Vatican, survivor Dominic Ridsdale said he hoped their visit would help lift the "darkness" lingering over the town of Ballarat, where decades of abuse took place.

"We want the truth. We want to be able to save more lives from too many suicides in Ballarat," he said.

"Hopefully by us being here it'll lift a dark cloud off Ballarat, we don't want anybody looking at it as a dark place."

This morning Cardinal Pell released a statement in which he said he was making arrangements to meet survivors who have travelled to Rome, saying private meetings would be held after the hearing concludes.

Over the weekend photos appeared online of Cardinal Pell tying a yellow ribbon to the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens in solidarity with the 'Loud Fence' movement, a grass-roots movement aimed at acknowledging the lasting affects of abuse.

In a statement, the Cardinal's office confirmed the gesture was a show of support for the people of Ballarat.

Loud Fence founder Maureen Hatcher said it was a positive development but Cardinal Pell's evidence at the Royal Commission was more important.

"I think it's fantastic that he's made that gesture. I suppose we can only hope now that he backs it up with some action," she said.

"I think the survivors really need to hear the truth, and hear exactly what did happen and what he did know about the abuse that took place.

"It's more important about what his words will be. I'm also hoping that this will make a bit of a statement to those churches and schools that have been taking ribbons off their fences."

Cardinal Pell has been called to give evidence about two case studies — number 28 about the Diocese of Ballarat and number 35 about the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

The time frame for the case studies stretches from the 1960s through to the 1990s.

Case Study 28 deals with the response of the Christian Brothers in Victoria to allegations of child sexual abuse involving six brothers — all of whom spent time working at schools in the Diocese of Ballarat.

The inquiry has already heard about the impact of abuse on survivors and the knowledge the Bishop and priests of Ballarat had of allegations of church abuse.

It has also heard about the practice of moving offending priests from one parish to another.

The royal commission has heard evidence from Gerald Ridsdale, a former Ballarat priest who has been convicted of some 138 offences against children, involving 53 victims.

His nephew David Ridsdale told the royal commission he phoned Cardinal Pell in 1993 to tell him that his uncle was abusing him, but that the priest tried to silence him.

Bishop Ronald Mulkearns had ultimate responsibility for the Diocese during much of the period of time being considered in Case Study 28.

For part of the time he was a priest in Ballarat, Cardinal Pell was one of the consultors to Bishop Mulkearns.

That involved giving advice to the Bishop on various matters, including the appointments of priests to particular parishes.

Cardinal Pell was a consultor at a time when some of the priests who have offended against children were serving in the Diocese.

Case study 35 deals with the response of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne to complaints and allegations of child sexual abuse — including during Cardinal Pell's time as an Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne.

Cardinal Pell had responsibilities as an Auxiliary Bishop for areas of the Archdiocese where at least one offending priest was located.

He was a member of the Archbishop's Personnel Advisory Board, and a member of the Curia — both bodies assisted on the placement of priests.