Journalists 'punched and shoved' by guards as Cardinal George Pell arrived to face Royal Commission

By Natasha Christian
7 News
February 29, 2016

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/30953088/journalists-punched-and-shoved-by-guards-as-cardinal-george-pell-arrived-to-face-royal-commission/

Cardinal Pell while being questioned during the Royal Commission into child sex abuse.

Paul Levely (C) and other survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy in Australia arrive at the Quirinale hotel in Rome on February 28, 2016 to hear evidence from Cardinal George Pell.

The Ballarat victims arrive in Rome.

Peter Blenkiron, one of the survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy in Australia arrives at the Quirinale hotel in Rome on February 28, 2016 to hear evidence from Cardinal George Pell.

Cardinal George Pell is giving evidence via video link from a conference room at a Rome hotel, before the Royal Commission into child sex abuse.

A group of survivors are watching the cardinal, who was 'too ill' to return to Australia for questioning.

The hearing will run for three days, with four hours of evidence each day.

Cardinal Pell told the Royal Commission that the way a Victorian bishop dealt with pedophile priest Gerald Francis Ridsdale was a catastrophe for both victims and the church.

Former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns knew Ridsdale had abused boys in 1975, but moved him between parishes and did not suspend his priestly faculties until 13 years later.

"The way he was dealt with that was a catastrophe, a catastrophe for the victims and a catastrophe for the church," Cardinal Pell told the child abuse royal commission from Rome.

"If effective action had been taken earlier an enormous amount of suffering would have been avoided.

"He simply gave him chance after chance after chance, shifted him around and initially at least trusted excessively in the possible benefits of psychological help."

Cardinal Pell said that if a priest denied child sex allegations he was inclined to accept it.

"I must say in those days, if a priest denied such activity, I was strongly inclined to accept the denial," he said.

Pell said there were plausible allegations made by ‘responsible people’ that were not investigated.

He said there was a ‘predisposition’ not to believe children.

“It was certainly more difficult for the child to be believed,” he said.

“Too many of them certainly were dismissed and sometimes they were dismissed in absolutely scandalous circumstances”.

Cardinal Pell was questioned about his role as an episcopal vicar and whether it involved complaints handling.

He agreed that his role would involve him being a link between parents, teachers and priests.

He said he couldn’t remember hearing complaints about teachers and touching kids but his ‘memory might be playing me false’.

When asked if parents or students ever approached him about teachers ‘touching them’, he said he couldn’t remember such complaints.

Following questions from the counsel assisting the Royal Commission, Gail Furness, SC, Cardinal Pell said he was not there to ‘defend the indefensible’.

“The church has made enormous mistakes and is working to remedy those, but the church in many places, certainly Australia, has mucked things up, has let people down. I’m not here to defend the indefensible”.

Australian journalists were allegedly shoved and punched by ‘extremely aggressive’ security guards surrounding Cardinal George Pell as he arrived at the hotel.

Cardinal Pell arrived at the hotel via side gate on Monday, to make his third appearance before the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse.

On his arrival, security allegedly took forceful action in order to protect him from the media.

However a spokeswoman fro Cardinal Pell has since said the incident did not involve his security.

"Cardinal Pell is sorry to hear of an incident involving two members of the media and Italian police just prior to giving evidence to the Royal Commission via video link in Rome," the statement said.

"The Italian Police are in charge of security outside and inside the hotel where the hearing is taking place and have been liaising with Commission staff."

The spokeswoman said Pell asked a member of his team to contact the media involved to check on their well being.

Cameramen were reportedly pushed and shoved and another reporter was punched.

Channel Seven reported Chris Reason said the visiting abuse survivors were not surprised by the heavy-handed tactics.

“We’re used to it,” victim Anthony Foster said.

Italian police were reportedly investigating, checking whether the private security had acted legally, and the Royal Commission has been notified.

The Australian survivors will watch the Cardinal, who was too sick to return to Australia for questioning, give his video testimony to the commission in Sydney from 8am today.

Cardinal Pell has been questioned about his knowledge of historic pedophile activity by priests, when he served in Ballarat and Melbourne.

On the eve of his testimony, he tied a yellow ribbon at the Lourdes grotto in the Vatican Gardens in support of Loud Fence, a movement supporting abuse victims.

"This is my gesture of support, especially for the people of Ballarat," Cardinal Pell said in a statement.

"I hope the coming days will eventually lead to healing for everyone."

Cardinal Pell served in Ballarat between 1973 and 1984, presiding over a primary school where four Christian Brothers were pedophiles and living in a presbytery with Australia's worst paedophile priest, Ridsdale, in 1973.

Ridsdale has been jailed for abusing 53 children but is the subject of 78 abuse claims to the diocese.

It is believed Ridsdale abused at least 1000 children across the western districts of Victoria, victims' advocacy group Broken Rites has said.