AUSTRALIA
The Guardian
Melissa Davey
@MelissaLDavey
Wednesday 17 February 2016
Survivors of child sexual abuse have welcomed news that Australia’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, will meet them in Rome, but say their priority is still seeing him give evidence before a royal commission.
David Ridsdale, who is the nephew and victim of notorious paedophile priest Gerald Francis Ridsdale, is one of those co-ordinating a group of child sex abuse survivors and their supporters to fly to Rome following the success of a fundraising campaign which has raised more than $170,000.
But Ridsdale said the purpose of flying there was to watch Pell give evidence before Australia’s royal commission into institutional responses into child sexual abuse, not to have a separate, private meeting with him.
“We will happily meet with him,” Ridsdale said.
“But this will be a very gruelling, triggering trip for everyone. We are putting ourselves through that to be in the same room as him and to see him be part of the royal commission’s process, which we have all been involved with. We can always meet him at a later date, but for me, there is little point going to Rome if we can’t see him give evidence, and that’s our priority.”
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