AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites
By a Broken Rites researcher (updated 18 March 2014)
This Broken Rites article is the most comprehensive account available about how the Catholic Church harboured this child-abuser – Father Gerald Francis Ridsdale – for 30 years while his superiors and fellow-priests remained silent to protect the church’s public image. Gradually some of his victims, encouraged by Broken Rites, have spoken to detectives in the Victoria Police child-protection squad. Ridsdale, who is serving a 20-year sentence, is in court again in 2014 because some more of his victims have recently come forward. He is pleading guilty to these 30 new charges involving offences against 11 boys and three girls between 1961 and 1980. He will be sentenced later in 2014.
This photo helped to expose the cover-up
Broken Rites believes that this photo (below) raises two questions:
1. WHY did Bishop George Pell accompany Father Gerald Ridsdale to court on 27 May 1993 when Ridsdale received his first conviction for child-sex crimes?
2. WHY did no bishop, or even a priest, accompany the victims?
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