AUSTRALIA
The Guardian
Melissa Davey
@MelissaLDavey
Sunday 7 February 2016
Australia’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, will give evidence about child sex abuse that occurred within his parishes via videolink following a ruling by the chair of the royal commission into institutional responses into child sexual abuse, Justice Peter McClellan.
Child sexual abuse victims have been waiting to hear whether Pell would appear in person since December, when his lawyers told the commission days before he was due to give evidence that he was too unwell to make the flight from Rome to Melbourne.
At the time, McClellan refused Pell’s request to instead appear via video link, saying the issues that Pell was due to give evidence on were complex and his answers would be better delivered in person. He said the commission would wait until February to see if Pell’s health had recovered enough to allow the flight.
On Friday, Pell’s lawyer, Allan Myers QC, tendered medical documents to the commission that indicated Pell was still too unwell to fly. After hearing from lawyers for the victims, who largely argued that Pell’s medical condition was “very common” to anyone of the cardinal’s age, 74, McClellan adjourned to consider his position.
On Monday McClellan revealed that the conditions were hypertension and ischaemic heart disease. While it would be preferable that Pell fly to Australia to give evidence, McClellan said the commissioners were satisfied doing so would pose a risk to Pell’s health and that his condition was unlikely to improve.
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