ROME
The Advertiser
Cardinal George Pell said he did not know that notorious pedophile Gerald Ridsdale had a 14-year-old boy living with him in the presbytery in 1980s – despite widespread rumours about the priest’s abuse of children.
Paul Levey has previously told the royal commission into child sexual abuse that in Easter 1982, when he was 14, he was sent to live at the presbytery at Mortlake with Ridsdale for about six months.
He slept in the same room as the priest and was abused all the time.
Mr Levey said it was common knowledge he was living there.
Cardinal George Pell on Tuesday – his second day of evidence to the child abuse royal commission – said he did not know about it even though by then he was privy to the “scandalous” rumours about Ridsdale when he was in Ballarat in the 70s.
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