Pell edited expression of regret

Sky News
March 24, 2014

http://www.skynews.com.au/national/article.aspx?id=960831

Cardinal George Pell removed an expression of regret from a letter to the victim of a pedophile priest because it was 'illogical' when the Catholic Church was disputing whether any abuse occurred, an inquiry has heard.

The royal commission into child sexual abuse saw the tracked changes of edits made by Dr Pell to a draft letter to John Ellis, a former altar boy who suffered years of abuse at the hands of a Sydney priest, Father Aidan Duggan.

Mr Ellis said the letter, which he received on Christmas Eve, 2002, felt like the church was slamming the door in his face by rejecting his complaint.

The original draft, prepared by the church's former director of professional standards John Davoren, suggested an expression that the church "very much regret any hurt that you have experienced".

Dr Pell told the commission he removed the reference to regret because it was 'illogical'.

'Because if hurt had been caused that would indicate that the case was established,' he said.

'If the case could not be established then the hurt could not be established - that was my reasoning, I was attempting to be honest.'

Dr Pell also removed a sentence which read 'as you are aware, this is not to suggest you are not believed'.

He told the commission the sentence was "inconsistent" with the church's position that Mr Ellis's case could not be established.

'The whole point of this letter was to say the matter couldn't be resolved and I don't like talking out of both sides of my mouth, especially to a victim,' Dr Pell said.

The commission also saw edits where Dr Pell deleted a reference to Mr Ellis's desire to "achieve some peace of mind" by meeting with Father Duggan, saying instead that he understood Mr Ellis wished for a meeting.

'I didn't want him to be feeling that something was going to be done which wasn't going to be done,' Dr Pell said.

'Obviously I was keen for him to have peace of mind but I didn't want to mislead him.'

Under questioning from Commissioner Peter McClellan, Dr Pell agreed that his position that Mr Ellis's story could not be established because Fr Duggan could not respond was wrong and not in accordance with the church's own procedures for abuse complaints.