AUSTRALIA
ABC News
Child sexual abuse royal commission: Cardinal George Pell to appear before second hearing into Catholic Church, Ellis defence under examination
By Justine Parker
The national Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will today open its second hearing into the Catholic Church’s handling of abuse claims.
The commission’s eighth public hearing will examine a landmark case that established what is known as the “Ellis defence”, which suggests the Church is not liable for the criminal conduct of clergy.
The two-week hearing in Sydney will examine the case of John Ellis, a former altar boy whose claim of sexual abuse by Father Aidan Duggan in the 1970s was initially dealt with under the church’s Towards Healing process established in 1996.
It will also examine the outcome of his subsequent lawsuit against the church.
Former Sydney Archbishop Cardinal George Pell will appear as a witness before moving to Rome at the end of the month to take up a new role overhauling the Vatican’s finances, leading the newly created Secretariat for the Economy.
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.