This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/mar/06/australian-child-sex-abuse-survivors-arrive-back-home-from-rome
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| 'It's the pope's loss': Ballarat sex abuse survivors speak after return from Rome | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Child sexual abuse survivors from Ballarat who flew to Rome to watch Cardinal George Pell give evidence say it’s the pope’s loss he didn’t meet with them at the Vatican. | Child sexual abuse survivors from Ballarat who flew to Rome to watch Cardinal George Pell give evidence say it’s the pope’s loss he didn’t meet with them at the Vatican. |
| Related: George Pell tells Andrew Bolt he won't resign from Vatican position | Related: George Pell tells Andrew Bolt he won't resign from Vatican position |
| The group of survivors arrived back in Melbourne on Sunday morning after a crowdfunding campaign made it possible for them to fly to Rome to witness Pell give evidence at the royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse. | The group of survivors arrived back in Melbourne on Sunday morning after a crowdfunding campaign made it possible for them to fly to Rome to witness Pell give evidence at the royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse. |
| “It’s been a whirlwind trip, nothing like we expected,” David Ridsdale told reporters at Melbourne airport. | “It’s been a whirlwind trip, nothing like we expected,” David Ridsdale told reporters at Melbourne airport. |
| Ridsdale – who was abused by his uncle and Australia’s worst pedophile priest, Gerard Ridsdale – says the group is disappointed it did not get a chance to meet with Pope Francis. | Ridsdale – who was abused by his uncle and Australia’s worst pedophile priest, Gerard Ridsdale – says the group is disappointed it did not get a chance to meet with Pope Francis. |
| The Vatican said it did not receive a request for a meeting, even though the group followed Vatican protocol and faxed the application. | The Vatican said it did not receive a request for a meeting, even though the group followed Vatican protocol and faxed the application. |
| “The whole nonsense with the pope ... the simple fact is it’s the pope’s loss,” Ridsdale said. “He misses out. It’s not our loss.” | “The whole nonsense with the pope ... the simple fact is it’s the pope’s loss,” Ridsdale said. “He misses out. It’s not our loss.” |
| Ridsdale says the survivors do not believe the “Vatican spin” that was in Pell’s evidence, and have criticised the Catholic church’s response to the cardinal’s evidence. | Ridsdale says the survivors do not believe the “Vatican spin” that was in Pell’s evidence, and have criticised the Catholic church’s response to the cardinal’s evidence. |
| “You’ve got to be a delusional human being to even imagine that’s the truth,” he said. “A very small step was made, but none of us felt that the evidence he gave was representative of the man we met in the room.” | “You’ve got to be a delusional human being to even imagine that’s the truth,” he said. “A very small step was made, but none of us felt that the evidence he gave was representative of the man we met in the room.” |
| The survivors say Pell has been listening to them in private meetings, yet appears to be dismissive of them in public. | The survivors say Pell has been listening to them in private meetings, yet appears to be dismissive of them in public. |
| Related: David Marr on George Pell: He is not a man to put abused children above the church – podcast | Related: David Marr on George Pell: He is not a man to put abused children above the church – podcast |
| “The person up on the stand was the bureaucrat, he was the corporate man,” Ridsdale said. “None of us were satisfied with his evidence. Not in the slightest.” | “The person up on the stand was the bureaucrat, he was the corporate man,” Ridsdale said. “None of us were satisfied with his evidence. Not in the slightest.” |
| Survivor Phil Nagle says their trip to Italy may be over, but their journey towards redress for victims and preventing abuse continues. | Survivor Phil Nagle says their trip to Italy may be over, but their journey towards redress for victims and preventing abuse continues. |
| “We wanted to hear honesty and truth, instead we heard lies and deceit,” he said in a statement he read on behalf of the group. “It was not about Cardinal Pell at all, it was about children and the abuse they suffered.” | “We wanted to hear honesty and truth, instead we heard lies and deceit,” he said in a statement he read on behalf of the group. “It was not about Cardinal Pell at all, it was about children and the abuse they suffered.” |
| The group says there are too many bureaucrats and officials in religious and government institutions who don’t want to take responsibility for any abuse that may have happened under their watch. | The group says there are too many bureaucrats and officials in religious and government institutions who don’t want to take responsibility for any abuse that may have happened under their watch. |