Cardinal Pell Answers to Child Abuse Inquiry, Admits There Was Cover up

By Precious Silva
International Business Times
May 28, 2013

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/471751/20130528/carinal-pell-church-sexual-abuse-scandal-vatican.htm#.UaSNvUCTgTY

Cardinal Pell will face the committee to answer child abuse queries.

Top ranking Catholic official Cardinal George Pell faced the Victorian Parliament yesterday afternoon to answer sexual child abuse queries. The cardinal admitted to the committee that the Church indeed tried covering up the scandal and that members of the clergy were involved.

True to what was advised to him, Cardinal Pell was honest and apologetic to the committee as he addressed their inquiries about the sexual controversies flung at the Church. He said that he was completely sorry and apologetic because the Church tried hiding the truth for decades.

There are members of the public gallery who cried as the church official answered the committee's question. Likewise, there were even more sympathetic responses when the cardinal was finally forced to explain how the church systematically covered up the scandals. Rape victims were as young as five years old.

"I'm certainly totally committed to improving the situation. I know the Holy Father is too," ABC quoted Pell while he faced the Victorian parliament. The cardinal defended why the church had to do the cover up despite the pressure on him that afternoon.

"Many people in the public think not only were there many mistakes made a long time ago, but there's been no progress at all over the last 20 years," Pell explained.

"I don't think that's borne out by the facts of the case. But that's for people to judge."

Cardinal Pell also explained to the committee how he just found out that the former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns hid the cases by destroying documents. Pell divulged that there were instances member of the clergy were regarded to be higher than the law.

"I have already stated quite explicitly, acknowledged the errors that have been made by Bishop Mulkearns and [former Melbourne archbishop Frank Little]," Pell said to the committee.

"I think many persons in the leadership of the Church, I don't think they knew what a horrendous widespread [issue] we were sitting on," he added.

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