George Pell knew abuse victim wanted just $100,000, monsignor tells inquiry

The Guardian (UK)
March 17, 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/17/george-pell-knew-abuse-victim-wanted-100000

Monsignor Brian Rayner talking after a fire that damaged St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney in 2005.

Cardinal’s former right-hand man says he ran all financial matters by Pell, contrary to evidence that Pell denied knowing the figure

Cardinal George Pell was told an abuse victim was seeking only $100,000 from the Catholic church, contrary to earlier evidence that Pell denied he knew the figure, a royal commission has heard.

The commission is examining John Ellis’s experiences when he approached the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney over sexual abuse by a priest between 1974 and 1979.

It heard last week that Ellis sought an ex-gratia payment of $100,000 because of needs arising from ongoing trauma following abuse by Father Aidan Duggan at Bass Hill.

Monsignor Brian Rayner, who was chancellor and vicar-general of the archdiocese between 2003 and 2005, told the inquiry on Monday he ran all financial matters by Pell. As such, he was Pell’s right-hand man in administrative affairs.

Asked by counsel for the commission Gail Furness SC whether he had told Pell that Ellis and his wife Nicola had asked for $100,000 for counselling and accommodation costs related to the impact of the abuse, Rayner replied: “Yes, he would have been told that.”

In evidence last week Ellis said that when he met Pell in February 2009, the then archbishop told him: “I had no idea that you sought an ex-gratia payment of only $100,000. I was told that your claim was for millions and needed to be defended.”

Ellis, who was originally offered $25,000 and then $30,000, met Rayner in a facilitation meeting in April 2004 but the complaint was unresolved.

Ellis refused to sign a deed of release which would have blocked further action against the church. He sued Pell and the trustees of the diocese.

Rayner said he told the archbishop that Ellis had rejected the offer.

Pell offered no opinion but was probably not surprised, he said.

Asked why, he said: “Mr Ellis, with his legal background, was going down a path that was not all that easy to – we were not really able to know what was going to happen next and how we could in fact come to a happy conclusion with Mr Ellis.”

Rayner said if Pell was away and he needed his authority, he went to his private secretary, Michael Casey, who spoke to the cardinal daily.

Casey is due to take the stand after Rayner.

The hearing continues.