AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun
February 26, 2016
AAP
WHAT CARDINAL GEORGE PELL HAS TO ANSWER BEFORE CHILD ABUSE ROYAL COMMISSION
WHY HE’S APPEARING AGAIN
Now the Vatican’s finance chief, the former Melbourne and Sydney archbishop and Ballarat priest will give evidence about abuse in the Ballarat diocese and Melbourne archdiocese.
Between 1973 and 1984 Pell was a Ballarat East priest, Episcopal Vicar for Education in the Ballarat diocese and an adviser to the Ballarat bishop.
Pell presided over St Alipius primary school where four Christian Brothers were pedophiles. He and another priest lived in a presbytery with Australia’s worst pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale in 1973.
Pell was Melbourne auxiliary bishop (1987-1996), responsible for a region including Doveton which had a succession of pedophile priests, and then Melbourne archbishop (1996-2001).
CLAIM HE ATTEMPTED TO SILENCE A VICTIM
David Ridsdale claims when he told Pell in 1993 he had been abused by his uncle Gerald Ridsdale, Pell said: “I want to know what it will take to keep you quiet.”
Pell denies the allegation.
CLAIM HE DISMISSED A VICTIM’S COMPLAINT
Timothy Green, 53, said when he was 12 or 13 he told Pell that Brother Edward Dowlan was abusing boys at Ballarat’s St Patrick’s College in 1974. “Fr Pell said `don’t be ridiculous’ and walked out.” Pell says he has no recollection of a conversation with Green and it did not happen.
CLAIM HE REMARKED RIDSDALE OFFENDING AGAIN
Former altar boy BWE said he overheard Pell tell Fr Frank Madden before a funeral in Ballarat in 1983: “Ha, ha, I think Gerry’s been rooting boys again.” Pell’s barrister Sam Duggan said the allegation was utterly false.
Madden said Pell never said that and had never used that kind of language.
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