Abuse Victim Angered by Pell's Claim

By Lloyd Jones
Adelaide Now
May 28, 2013

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/abuse-victim-angered-by-pells-claim/story-e6frea7l-1226652355567

A MAN who was sexually abused as a boy by Catholic brothers says it is "beyond belief" that Cardinal George Pell was unaware of abuse by clergy over many years.

Cardinal Pell, Australia's most senior Catholic, admitted to Victoria's child sex abuse inquiry that a fear of scandal had led to cover-ups of child sex abuse in the church.

He was "absolutely sorry" for what had happened, but he had never personally covered up clergy abuse, he told the inquiry in Melbourne on Monday.

But many abuse victims were not satisfied with Cardinal Pell's apology, saying it was insincere and he had diverted blame to others.

Sydney resident John Hennessey told AAP on Tuesday he was sexually abused by Christian Brothers at Boys Town in Western Australia where he went as a boy migrant from Britain in 1947.

Mr Hennessey, now 77, was a former deputy mayor of Campbelltown in Sydney's southwest and is expected to be a key witness before the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse.

He said three of his Boys Town mates had committed suicide after being sexually abused.

When boys had tried to report that Boys Town was run by "a mob of pedophiles", their complaints were disbelieved and he was punished by a senior brother for complaining, Mr Hennessey said.

"He nearly flogged me to death, saying, 'How dare you speak about our brothers like this?"

Mr Hennessey said he was delighted that Cardinal Pell had finally been challenged in front of a civil inquiry and his integrity was being questioned.

But he was still shaking with anger over the cardinal's evidence, which he said showed a lack of compassion and coldness.

"I could not sleep last night ... over how the leading Catholic in Australia at this late stage still says he didn't know what was going on. It's just beyond belief."

Mr Hennessey said he was speaking out in a bid to make sure such institutional abuse never happened again.

"I never got married due to what happened to me as a child. I did not want to bring a child into the world thinking the same thing could happen," he said.