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| George Pell: church made 'enormous mistakes' in dealing with paedophile priests | George Pell: church made 'enormous mistakes' in dealing with paedophile priests |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Australia’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, has maintained he knew nothing of the paedophile priests operating within the diocese of Ballarat while he was a junior priest there but has conceded the church’s handling of child sexual abuse was “catastrophic” for its victims. | |
| On the first day of four days of evidence before Australia’s royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, Pell said the Catholic church had made “enormous mistakes” in dealing with allegations of abuse. | On the first day of four days of evidence before Australia’s royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, Pell said the Catholic church had made “enormous mistakes” in dealing with allegations of abuse. |
| Related: Cardinal George Pell testifies to child sex abuse royal commission from Rome – live | Related: Cardinal George Pell testifies to child sex abuse royal commission from Rome – live |
| “I’m not here to defend the indefensible, the church has made enormous mistakes and is working to remedy those, but the church has in many places, certainly in Australia, has mucked things up, has let people down. I’m not here to defend the indefensible.” | “I’m not here to defend the indefensible, the church has made enormous mistakes and is working to remedy those, but the church has in many places, certainly in Australia, has mucked things up, has let people down. I’m not here to defend the indefensible.” |
| Later he said that in the 1980s and earlier the church had a “predisposition not to believe” children who made complaints against priests. | Later he said that in the 1980s and earlier the church had a “predisposition not to believe” children who made complaints against priests. |
| Widely reportedly as the third most powerful man in the Vatican – a title he disputed in his evidence – Pell has already appeared twice before the commission. | |
| For this third appearance, the cardinal was given dispensation to give evidence by videolink to the commission in Sydney from the Hotel Quirinale in Rome hotel after church doctors ruled he was too ill to fly. The 74-year-old Pell has a heart condition. | |
| A group of child abuse victims and their families were in the same room as Pell to watch him give his evidence. | A group of child abuse victims and their families were in the same room as Pell to watch him give his evidence. |
| Dressed in a clerical collar and black jacket, and seated before a grey curtain, Pell appeared to sit alone, before a lone microphone and a glass of water. His Companion of the Order of Australia medal was pinned to his left collar. | Dressed in a clerical collar and black jacket, and seated before a grey curtain, Pell appeared to sit alone, before a lone microphone and a glass of water. His Companion of the Order of Australia medal was pinned to his left collar. |
| Related: 'We spoke in front of the world' – abuse victims in Rome to see George Pell testify | Related: 'We spoke in front of the world' – abuse victims in Rome to see George Pell testify |
| Pell swore on a Bible his evidence would be truthful. Under questioning, he was not discursive but spoke confidently, only occasionally tripped up by delays in the audio transmission and in documents being provided to him. | |
| During his first morning of evidence, counsel assisting the commission Gail Furness focused on Pell’s early career in the priesthood, particularly during his time as an assistant parish priest in Swan Hill, and a parish priest in Ballarat, in regional Victoria. | |
| Pell was fiercely critical of Bishop Ronald Mulkearns, the former bishop of Ballarat who gave evidence last week to the committee last week. Mulkearns destroyed incriminating documents before a Victorian parliamentary committee, Pell said, something he believed was “unacceptable”. | |
| He condemned Mulkearns’ handling of the case of notorious paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale, who raped children across in church institutions across Victoria, protected by the church, which moved him to new parishes as new complaints emerged. | |
| “The way he [Ridsdale] was dealt with was a catastrophe,” Pell said. “A catastrophe for the victims, and a catastrophe for the church. If effective action had been taken earlier, an enormous amount of suffering would have been avodied.” | “The way he [Ridsdale] was dealt with was a catastrophe,” Pell said. “A catastrophe for the victims, and a catastrophe for the church. If effective action had been taken earlier, an enormous amount of suffering would have been avodied.” |
| “He [Bishop Mulkearns] shifted – gave him [Ridsdale] chance after chance after chance, shifted him around and initially at least trust excessively, in the possible benefits of psychological help [for Ridsdale’s paedophilic behaviour].” | |
| Ridsdale’s nephew, David Ridsdale, who was abused by him, was among those survivors watching Pell in Rome. “Survivors are together and respectful as usual,” he wrote while watching the evidence. | Ridsdale’s nephew, David Ridsdale, who was abused by him, was among those survivors watching Pell in Rome. “Survivors are together and respectful as usual,” he wrote while watching the evidence. |
| Related: George Pell and the royal commission: the questions George Pell must answer | David Marr | Related: George Pell and the royal commission: the questions George Pell must answer | David Marr |
| Pell said in the early 1970s, when he first heard allegations of priests sexually abusing children, he was “strongly inclined” to believe the priests’ version of events. | Pell said in the early 1970s, when he first heard allegations of priests sexually abusing children, he was “strongly inclined” to believe the priests’ version of events. |
| In 1972 he became aware of allegations Monsignor John Day had been sexually abusing children. But he was also aware Day had denied the allegations. | |
| “I must say, in those days, if a priest denied such activity, I was very strongly inclined to accept the denial,” Pell said. | “I must say, in those days, if a priest denied such activity, I was very strongly inclined to accept the denial,” Pell said. |
| The church had a “predisposition not to believe” children who made complaints against priests, he said. | The church had a “predisposition not to believe” children who made complaints against priests, he said. |
| Pell’s evidence continues. | Pell’s evidence continues. |