AUSTRALIA
The Age
June 7, 2015
Georgina Mitchell
A man who called Cardinal George Pell “sociopathic” over his alleged treatment of survivors of child sexual abuse has been asked to withdraw his comments in a letter from Cardinal Pell’s lawyer, after members of the Church defended the Cardinal in public statements.
In an interview on 60 Minutes on May 31, Peter Saunders – a member of the Vatican’s advisory commission on child sexual abuse – said Pell’s position had become “untenable” and the Pope should act now to remove him from the Vatican because he was “a dangerous individual” who displayed a cold-heartedness and contempt for abuse victims.
“He has a catalogue of denigrating people, of acting with callousness, cold-heartedness – [it’s] almost sociopathic I would go as far as to say, this lack of care,” Mr Saunders told the program in an interview in Rome.
“I think he is somebody who, understandably, victim survivors will have a huge, huge issue with.
“In all the interviews, in all I’ve read, in all I’ve heard, I have seen not a shred of evidence that George Pell has any sympathy, empathy or any kind of understanding or concern for victims and survivors of these crimes.”
In the 15-minute segment, which featured historical comments from George Pell but which the Cardinal refused twice to be interviewed for, Mr Saunders said it was highly likely Pell and his peers knew paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale had abused children. He called for them to face criminal charges if this knowledge was proven.
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