AUSTRALIA
The Courier
By Melissa Cunningham
Dec. 11, 2015
CLERGY sex abuse survivors have been left reeling by news Cardinal George Pell will not be appearing at the child sex abuse inquiry next week. Victim and nephew of disgraced priest Gerard Ridsdale said the lives of survivors had been thrown into turmoil again.
He called for Cardinal Pell to “come and face the music” like the survivors have been forced to do for years.
Cardinal Pell is unable to make his anticipated appearance at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse next week due to ill health, his lawyer has said.
Cardinal Pell’s counsel, Allan Myers QC, told the hearing on Friday that Cardinal Pell, who is based in Rome, had “serious health conditions” and would be unable to fly to Australia to appear at the inquiry on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, at the request of Cardinal Pell, Mr Ridsdale and fellow survivor Timothy Green were cross-examined for allegations they had made about the senior Vatican.
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