Ballarat victims welcome much of Cardinal George Pell's royal commission testimony but say 'there's still a long way to go'

By Melissa Cunningham
Sydney Morning Herald
February 29, 2016

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Andrew Collins (left), David Ridsdale and other survivors of child abuse speak to the press in front of the Hotel Quirinale in Rome. Photo by Marco Di Lauro

Abuse survivors Paul Levey and Andrew Collins in Rome before the commission hearing. Photo by Marco Di Lauro

Ballarat clerical abuse survivors say Australia's most senior Catholic is holding back on his knowledge of paedophile priests who sexually abused scores of children over decades.

During his evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Cardinal George Pell said he was not there to "defend the indefensible" and denied knowing about paedophile priests operating in the Ballarat diocese in the 1970s.

He said the Catholic Church had made "enormous" mistakes in its handling of child sex crimes and had let victims down but was working to repair it.

Standing outside of the Hotel Quirinale in Rome where Cardinal Pell gave evidence via video link back to Australia, clerical abuse victim David Ridsdale said thousands of people were still suffering as a result of the church's failure to protect children.

"We represent hundreds and hundreds from Ballarat and thousands and thousand of victims across Australia," Mr Ridsdale said.

"It's not words we are looking for it's actions."

Mr Ridsdale said despite the Cardinal Pell's resistance to be linked to schools in Ballarat where the sexual abuse of children was rampant, survivors had clear memories of his presence in and around the school grounds.

"I know that his comment that he hardly ever was around the St Alipius Boy's School does not fit well with some of our memories," Mr Ridsdale said.

"It's a give-and-take process and we've got a long way to go to get to the truth."

Abuse survivors also criticised the senior Vatican official for his admission that he knew the late Brother Leo Fitzgerald was "kissing boys" but he considered the behaviour to be "harmless". 

"It was common knowledge [he was kissing boys] there was a general conviction it was harmless enough," Cardinal Pell told the commission.

He told the commission that in the early 1970s, when he first heard allegations of priests sexually abusing children, he was inclined to believe the priests if they denied the claims.

Cardinal Pell said the "eccentric" behaviour of  Fitzgerald was discussed by clergy before he was forced to resign after one child's father, who was also a policeman, complained about Fitzgerald's sexual behaviour towards his son.

Last week, the inquiry heard that Fitzgerald would kiss every grade five pupil as they left for school for the day.

Survivor Andrew Collins said it was incomprehensible that Cardinal Pell could assume that it was appropriate Fitzgerald kissed children.

However, Mr Collins said Cardinal Pell had been more willing to admit past wrongs than in previous evidence regarding child sexual abuse.

"There were at the very least admissions about the church's catastrophic handling of child sex crimes," he said.

"He also pushed for clergy to follow the law of the land on reporting sex crimes, rather than directives of the Vatican."

He said he hoped further cross-examination of Cardinal in the coming days would dredge up the truth.

"George Pell has the power to change the world," Mr Collins said.

"As a senior Vatican official he has the ability to push to change canon law and protect children into the future."

The hearing continues.