Cardinal admits ‘scandalous ‘ response to abuse allegations

Indeed on his evidence, Cardinal Pell cut something of having had a solitary beginning as a young clergyman, spending time in his studies and academia and “rarely indulging” in gossip that he said may or may not have involved the misdemeanours of other diocese priests and Christian Brothers.

“I must say in those days, if a priest denied such activity, I was very strongly inclined to accept the denial”, he said.

Victims and relatives of children who claim they were sexually abused by the Catholic Church hold placards as they stand outside the venue for Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney, Australia, February 29, 2016.

The Royal Commission also ruled that Australian survivors of abuse, their supporters and media from Australia would be permitted to be in the room while the cardinal testified, and the Verdi room at Hotel Quirinale was filled to capacity for his evidence.

Senior cleric Cardinal George Pell has admitted the Catholic Church was more concerned with protecting its own reputation than helping abuse victims. It marks the third time he’s been deposed by the commission.

“However, Pell denied allegations that he ignored warnings and maintained that he wasn” aware of the “catastrophe” caused by clergy abuse. Ridsdale is known to have committed more than 130 offenses while chaplain at Ballarat’s St. Alipius school in the 1960s-1980s.

Pell, who rose to be the top Catholic official in Australia, said the church historically made grave errors in not properly addressing the issue and was now working to remedy them. The Vatican did not respond to requests about what the two discussed.

The commission probed him about three pedophile priests – Monsignor John Day, Father Paul David Ryan and Gerald Ridsdale, one of Australia’s worst pedophiles. One day while intoxicated, she was struck by a vehicle and is now severely disabled.

“We want to hear the truth”. “A catastrophe for the victims, and a catastrophe for the Church”. He is also the prefect of the newly formed Secretariat for the Economy which is overseeing Vatican finances.

Had said he’d never heard of the term “bum buddies” and agreed that if children had been labelled that it “certainly suggested” abuse. Later, as an auxiliary bishop in Melbourne had “assisted the Archbishop on matters including the placement of priests”. Gerald Ridsdale is in prison after being convicted of multiple abuse charges.

One of the highest-ranking Vatican officials is being compelled to testify in public starting Sunday about clerical sex abuse, an unusual demonstration of holding even the most senior Catholic bishops accountable.

The priest criticised former Bishop of Ballarat, Ronald Mulkearns, for his conduct in the Ridsdale case.

Mr Ridsdale said some of the people Cardinal Pell said he didn’t know didn’t fit with the memories of abuse survivors from Ballarat.

In a statement Sunday, Pell repeated his support for the commission’s work, vowed to meet individually with victims who had traveled to Rome and said he hoped the coming days “will eventually lead to healing for everyone”.

On the weekend, Cardinal Pell visited the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens to pray for all survivors of abuse, according to Vatican Radio. He has appeared before the commission on two previous occasions in Australia.

The group of survivors who traveled across the world to participate in the hearing sat in the first row.