AUSTRALIA
SBS
By Madonna King
4 DEC 2015
Chrissie Foster remembers her husband Anthony handing George Pell a photograph of their daughter Emma. Her arms and wrists were bloodied; the tell-tale signs that she wanted the torture that followed years of abuse to stop.
“I wanted to explain to him how Emma was telling the truth – she was only 14 or 15 at the time,’’ Chrissie tells me. “I wanted to break through this clerical belief that victims are liars and were after money.
“I thought if I could speak to him and tell him about Emma and how I was a good Catholic … I did lots of things around the Parish…that I wasn’t the enemy, and that this had happened to my daughter.’’
“It was too horrible. He didn’t bat an eyelid. There was no intake of breath. There was nothing.’’
Foster remembers Pell’s hard tone. “He didn’t let my husband finish his sentences. He’d just jump in with a legal point.’’ She remembers phrases like “prove it in court’’ or “take your evidence to court’’, and showing him the photograph of Emma was a last ditch effort to be heard.
“We hadn’t shown anyone that photo,’’ Chrissie says. “It was too horrible. He didn’t bat an eyelid. There was no intake of breath. There was nothing.’’
About 15 months later, Chrissie and Anthony found out a second daughter, Katie, had also been abused by Father Kevin O’Donnell, who has since died.
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