Pell says he would have believed denials

The Australian
February 29, 2016

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/pell-says-he-would-have-believed-denials/news-story/08a67ed9259af19468c5a49b76793c26

Pell unaware of priest's 'alarming' abuse

Cardinal George Pell can remember early 1970s pedophilia allegations against a Victorian priest being a great scandal but says he was unaware of Monsignor John Day's "alarming" history.

Cardinal Pell said he heard some gossip about the Mildura parish priest being accused of some sort of pedophilia activity and denying it.

"I must say in those days if a priest denied such activity I was very strongly inclined to accept the denial," Cardinal Pell told the child abuse royal commission from Rome.

Cardinal Pell was an assistant priest in Swan Hill when Monsignor Day was accused in 1971 and 1972 of indecently assaulting children.

"It was a great scandal," he said.

It was something that was discussed in the Catholic community and more widely around Mildura, particularly after an August 1972 newspaper article.

But Cardinal Pell said 200km away in Swan Hill, there was much less gossip.

"I can't remember any lay person mentioning it to me but they might have," he said.

The commission has heard John Howden, a teacher at Mildura's St Joseph's College, was confronted by a parent about Day at 1970 Christmas drinks.

"You're a weak-kneed bastard. Why haven't you done anything about this criminal?" he was told.

Mr Howden went to Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns and with Mildura policeman Denis Ryan wrote to the bishop in December 1971 saying: "Investigations by both the undersigned revealed widespread moral misconduct over a period of 13 years."

Cardinal Pell agreed it was an alarming conclusion and said it was totally unacceptable that Monsignor Day had got away with offending over that period.

But Cardinal Pell said he was totally unaware of the details of Day's offending.

He had heard the gossip about Day from fellow priests but "very rarely indulged" in discussions about the sexual proclivities of other priests.

"We were aware of the problem. We talked about it but it was not gossiped about extensively."

Day was not charged and the commission has heard Mr Ryan's attempts to investigate him were stymied by the church and other police officers.

Former Victorian police chief Reg Jackson was the architect of a conspiracy to conceal Day's offending and put a stop to Mr Ryan's investigation, his successor Mick Miller has told the commission.

Day resigned in January 1972 from Mildura after police went to Bishop Mulkearns with further allegations.

He was assigned to the Timboon parish a year later and remained there until his 1978 death.

Cardinal Pell said the Timboon appointment was quite unacceptable.

The church has child sex abuse claims against Day from 15 people, all made after his death.