Ellis Surprised by Pell's Apology

Daily Telegraph
March 27, 2014

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/ellis-surprised-by-pells-apology/story-fni0xqi3-1226866803572

A FORMER altar boy preyed upon by a pedophile priest has been surprised by an apology from Cardinal George Pell.

Dr Pell concluded two-and-a-half days of evidence to the royal commission into child sex abuse on Thursday by apologising for what he had described as regrettable mistakes and misunderstandings over years of dealing with John Ellis.

Reading from a statement, Dr Pell said that, as the former archbishop of Sydney and speaking personally, the church had failed Mr Ellis in many ways.

Mr Ellis later said he had been "a bit surprised" by the cardinal's apology.

"I am just not sure how I feel about it," he told ABC.

"It is better that he said he is sorry than that he didn't say that."

Mr Ellis was sexually abused from the age of 13 to 17 by Father Aidan Duggan in the Sydney parish of Bass Hill in the 1970s.

Despite his experiences Mr Ellis became an accomplished lawyer, before the weight of what had happened hit him more than 20 years later and his life fell apart.

When he sought compensation from the church, it rejected an offer to settle for $100,000 and lawyers instructed by Dr Pell proceeded to aggressively defend a court case brought by Mr Ellis.

Mr Ellis said the past fortnight at the royal commission had been totally draining and he felt exhausted.

But he said it was very meaningful to have seen all of the actions that were taken put under scrutiny, and to get some answers about why things went the way they did.

He hopes people won't have to take their cases to court in the future and that there will be a gentler, more compassionate process for all parties.

But he said people need the right to take actions to court if they can't be sorted.

Mr Ellis also said the church needs to be told "very publicly" that it is not above the law.

Having his experience so publicly ventilated was something he still needed to reflect on, he said.

But the royal commission process was very supportive, unlike the lonely process he went through 12 years ago when he went to the church.