AUSTRALIA
The Australian
Catholic church covered up child sex abuse, Cardinal George Pell tells Victoria’s inquiry
PIA AKERMAN From: The Australian May 27, 2013
CARDINAL George Pell has acknowledged the Catholic Church within Australia covered up the “foul crime” of child abuse, leading to suicides.
Australia’s most senior Catholic cleric has taken the stage today as the final witness for the Victorian inquiry into how religious and non-government organisations have responded to sexual abuse claims.
Cardinal Pell said while he had personally never covered up offending, it had largely escaped the view of church officials who didn’t know what a “mess” they were presiding over.
He vehemently rejected claims that there had been a “culture of abuse” among priests.
“I think the bigger fault was nobody would talk about it, nobody would mention it,” he said, admitting his predecessor as Melbourne archbishop had “mishandled” one abuse case by destroying
“He clearly did the wrong thing.”
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