ROME
Daily Examiner
THE way the Australian Roman Catholic Church dealt with a paedophile priest in Ballarat was a “catastrophe”, according to Cardinal George Pell.
Giving evidence from Rome, Cardinal Pell was asked his view on former Bishop Ronald Mulkearns, who has long been accused of ignoring sex abuse within the church.
When Cardinal Pell was asked if he was critical of Bishop Mulkearns’ conduct, the Cardinal said the bishop’s handling of paedophile Gerald Risdale was “a catastrophe”.
“I have just re-read the file of Ridsdale. The priest. Ex-priest,” Cardinal Pell said.
“And the way he was dealt with was a catastrophe.
“A catastrophe for the victims and a catastrophe for the church.
“If effective action had been taken earlier, an enormous amount of suffering would’ve been avoided.”
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.