AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By Joanna Woodburn
A victim of child sexual abuse by a Catholic priest was told by Cardinal George Pell that he had also suffered “legal abuse” in his attempts to seek justice, a royal commission has heard.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is examining allegations made by John Ellis, who failed in his attempt to sue the Catholic Church in 2007.
Mr Ellis was abused by Father Aidan Duggan in Sydney between 1974 and 1979.
Giving evidence to the royal commission, Mr Ellis recalled a meeting with the former Archbishop of Sydney and Australia’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal Pell, in February 2009.
Mr Ellis said he was surprised that Cardinal Pell had believed Mr Ellis was seeking millions of dollars, which would need to be defended, rather than an ex-gratia payment of $100,000.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.