Italian police jostle Aussie news crew covering George Pell's Royal Commission testimony

9 News
February 29, 2016

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/02/29/06/57/vatican-security-obstruct-aussie-news-crew-covering-george-pells-royal-commission-testimony

The Catholic Church has denied Cardinal Pell’s security clashed with Australian news crews outside the hotel where he is giving evidence in the sex abuse inquiry, saying the men were Italian police officers.

Video from the encounter shows the police, originally thought to be the Cardinal’s bodyguards, obstructing and jostling a news cameraman and crew outside the Hotel Quirinale in Rome.

The Archdiocese of Sydney rejected claims the cardinal's security were involved in the altercation.

"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," a spokeswoman 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 Cardinal heard about the incident involving an SBS reporter and a cameraman just before the start of the hearing".

Watch 9news.com.au’s live coverage.

The spokeswoman said Cardinal Pell asked his staff to check on the reporters to ensure they were safe.

"Let go of me, you have no role at all," one of the crew can be heard saying, as another man strides over and appears to grab at the camera.

February 28, 2016: Fifteen survivors abused as children by Catholic clergy in Ballarat have landed in Rome to watch Cardinal George Pell testify before a Royal Commission.

"Excuse me, we have a right to be here, this is a public street," the Aussie journalist says, telling his cohort to "go around" the street so they can keep filming.

A contingent of around 15 survivors who were abused in Ballarat during the 1970s, when Cardinal Pell lived in the same house as notorious child predator Gerard Risdale, have travelled to the Italian capital to observe proceedings.

One  Sydney man who confronted Cardinal George Pell when he first gave evidence to the child abuse royal commission two years ago says he hopes Australia's most senior Catholic finally "tells us the truth".

John Hennessy, 80, will join dozens of other abuse victims at a public hearing in Sydney on Monday morning to watch Cardinal Pell give evidence via video link from a hotel in Rome.

February 20, 2016: Cardinal George Pell is denying any wrong doing after newspaper the herald sun reported that Victoria police have been conducting a yearlong investigation into allegations he abused children.

"We hope he does the right thing. We hope everything finally comes clean," Mr Hennessy, a former deputy mayor of Campbelltown Council, told AAP.

Cardinal Pell is expected to be questioned about several different matters on Monday including claims that he knew offending priests were moved from parish to parish.

"I cannot believe he didn't know what was going on," Mr Hennessy said on Sunday.

February 24, 2016: Six abuse survivors from Ballarat share their stories ahead of Cardinal George Pell giving evidence at next week’s Royal Commission.

"It's up to Cardinal Pell. He must tell us what really happened," he said.

Mr Hennessy was raped, beaten and emotionally abused for six years while he was a young boy at the Christian Brothers' Boys Town in Western Australia during the 1940s.

When Cardinal Pell first gave evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sex Abuse in 2014, Mr Hennessy sensationally stepped into the aisle at the public hearing room and said: "You should be ashamed of yourself, Cardinal".

Mr Hennessy said the confrontation was one of his proudest moments.

"I have no malice against him but I just want the truth to come out," he said.

The former teacher, who's a member of the Child Migrants Trust, said he was proud of the group of abuse victims who managed to make their way to Rome to watch Cardinal Pell testify.

"And we are all standing strong and supporting them from over here," he said.

Cardinal Pell has maintained he was never involved in the cover-up of abuse by clergy.

The former Melbourne and Sydney archbishop is now in charge of the Vatican's finances.