Australian Cardinal Faces Hostile Abuse Inquiry

By James Grubel
The Bdlive
May 28, 2013

http://www.bdlive.co.za/world/asia/2013/05/28/australian-cardinal-faces-hostile-abuse-inquiry

CANBERRA — The head of the Catholic Church in Australia on Monday came under scathing attack at a Victorian state inquiry into child abuse cover-ups, as he blamed a culture of silence for what one panelist described as a "psychopathic disregard" for the welfare of children.

Cardinal George Pell, an adviser to Pope Francis on Vatican reforms, told a parliamentary hearing the church had been slow to address the suffering of victims and again issued an apology.

"I am fully apologetic, and absolutely sorry," said Cardinal Pell at an often hostile hearing marked by at times angry questioning over the church’s compensation and investigations. Cardinal Pell was questioned for more than four hours. He said the number of reports of abuse by clergy members peaked in the 1970s and 1980s — at 620 cases — but had fallen as the church changed its approach.

"The evidence of misbehaving, crimes, has been significantly reduced. I hope the worst is behind us," Cardinal Pell said, adding 300 people in Victoria state had received compensation for abuse.

Child abuse scandals have plagued the church for more than two decades in Australia, Europe and the US, with Ireland shutting its embassy to the Vatican in 2011 due to strained relations over the abuse issue.

A large crowd turned up for Cardinal Pell’s appearance, with the Parliament House legislative council committee room and a second viewing area both overflowing.

In one heated exchange, a panelist accused the church of having a psychopathic disregard for children’s welfare.

The cardinal was testifying in Melbourne in relation to his role as Archbishop of Melbourne from 1996 to 2001 when he implemented protocols for dealing with abuse complaints.

"So I don’t think many persons in the leadership of the Catholic Church knew what a horrendous, widespread mess we were sitting on," he said.

But since the 1990s, the church was more open in dealing with the issue, and conducts stronger background checks on people joining the clergy, he said. He also denied acting like "Pontius Pilate" in "washing his hands" of claims of priest molestations and rejected accusations from MPs that his past references to the church being "bled to death" by abuse inquiries referred to concern about compensation payments. "In my mind it was a secondary consideration, the financial consideration. Whatever the legislature decides is appropriate, we will pay," he said.

The parliamentary inquiry has heard child abuse by members of the church was covered up, and that the church was more concerned with protecting priests than protecting victims. It has been told Cardinal Pell’s predecessor as Archbishop of Melbourne, Frank Little, dealt with complaints confidentially, kept no records, and moved accused priests to new parishes where some continued to sexually abuse children.

Little died in 2008. But Cardinal Pell acknowledged Little covered up the issue and did not discuss it with advisers or other bishops.

"He inherited a situation where there were no protocols, no procedures. And he never spoke to anybody about it. He didn’t know how to deal with it," Cardinal Pell said.

The cleric has also been criticised by victim support groups for his decision to accompany an accused paedophile priest into court in 1993, but said the action was not meant as a slight against abuse victims.

The former priest, Gerald Ridsdale, was convicted and jailed for 19 years for molesting and raping 40 children between 1961 and 1987. Cardinal Pell said he was aware of the "terrible crimes" and knew Ridsdale was going to plead guilty, and had not meant to diminish victims.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has set up a rare Royal Commission, the highest form of investigation in Australia, into how churches, government bodies and other organisations dealt with child sex abuse cases.