Allegations against Cardinal George Pell Continue to Mount at Child Abuse Royal Commission

ABC
May 21, 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2015/s4240282.htm

Transcript

LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: The allegations against Australia's most senior clergy at the Vatican, Cardinal George Pell, continue to mount at the Royal commission into child sexual abuse.

David Ridsdale, the nephew and victim of notorious paedophile Gerald Ridsdale, has claimed Cardinal Pell tried to bribe him to stay quiet, something Cardinal Pell denies, saying the two men had a misunderstanding.

Cardinal Pell's under growing pressure to appear before the commission, as David Mark reports.

DAVID MARK, REPORTER: For David Ridsdale, even returning to Ballarat's St Alipius is painful.

DAVID RIDSDALE: From the age of 11 and 12, after Gerald did that, I used to have lie and pretend I was going there. I used to stand at the back till some - one of the gossips saw me and then I'd climb that tower up there. And every Sunday, I sat up there for probably four years.

DAVID MARK: For those four years, between the ages of 11 and 15, he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by his uncle, the notorious paedophile and parish priest, Gerald Risdale.

At the age of 25, David Ridsdale finally got up the courage to report his abuse to the most powerful man he knew in the Church, the former Catholic Archbishop of Sydney and Melbourne, George Pell.

DAVID RIDSDALE: At 9 am on 2nd February, 1993, I rang George from my home in Bentleigh. My partner at the time was sitting in the room when I made the call.

DAVID MARK: Cardinal Pell had been a parish priest in Ballarat and lived with Gerald Ridsdale at the time David Ridsdale was being abused in the late-'70s.

DAVID RIDSDALE: I told George that I had been abused by Gerald. His first reaction was, "Oh, right." As soon as I hung up the phone, I called my eldest sister and told her about my conversation. I also called my second eldest sister and told her about the conversation. I remember saying to both my sisters, "The bastard just tried to bribe me."

DAVID MARK: George Pell is now one of the most senior officials at the Vatican, where he's in charge of finances.

In 1993, George Pell was beside Gerald Ridsdale as he made his way to court to answer paedophile charges.

Overnight in a statement, he denied he tried to bribe David Ridsdale.

GEORGE PELL, VATICAN PREFECT OF THE SECRETARIAT FOR THE ECONOMY (male voiceover): "At no time did I attempt to bribe David Ridsdale or his family or offer any financial inducements for him to be silent."

DAVID MARK: It's a denial he's made before.

GEORGE PELL (2002): I've got no doubt that David Ridsdale suffered - has suffered terribly because of his experiences, but his allegations about me are wrong.

DAVID MARK: But David Ridsdale has steadfastly maintained he's telling the truth.

7.30 caught up with him straight after he made his explosive claims about Cardinal Pell to the Royal commission.

DAVID RIDSDALE: He's a bully, he's a bully, is what he is. They thought they could bully me and so many men have lost their lives because of their inaction.

FRANCES SULLIVAN, TRUTH, JUSTICE AND HEALING COUNCIL: What we know for sure is that the - Cardinal Pell, on a number of occasions, under oath, has stated what he stated overnight in his press release.

DAVID RIDSDALE: George Pell reacted in the media and called me a liar and that. And I did respond to that the first time, but I soon realised he had a huge army of lawyers and so on and - I've been very lucky. A couple of years ago a journalist did a thing in the Quarterly Essay and his research was extraordinary and he was able to show and demonstrate very clearly that everything I've said has been consistent.

DAVID MARK: That journalist was David Marr, who's written a book about George Pell called The Prince.

DAVID MARR, JOURNALIST: George Pell has to answer the questions: What did you know? When did you know? And what did you do about it?

DAVID RIDSDALE: All I want him to do is explain to us all when the Church knew. I am not interested in him giving rationales. He's not going to be allowed to talk about the offences, which I'm happy with. I want him to be honest about when the people in charge of him knew.

DAVID MARK: The question of Cardinal's Pell's knowledge about Gerald Ridsdale's paedophilia activities in Ballarat go back almost a decade earlier.

In her opening address to this sitting, the senior counsel assisting the Royal commission said that George Pell was on a committee that discussed moving Gerald Ridsdale form Ballarat to Sydney in 1982 because of his paedophile activities.

GAIL FURNESS, COUNSEL ASSISTING THE ROYAL COMMISSION: It is expected that there will be evidence, as indicated earlier, that Bishop Mulkearns knew it was because Ridsdale had abused boys in Mortlake.

DAVID MARK: Timothy Green, a survivor of another notorious Ballarat paedophile, Brother Edward Dowlan, has also given evidence at the Royal commission about George Pell.

TIMOTHY GREEN, ABUSE SURVIVOR: Father Pell came in to the change rooms and said something like, "G'day, boys," and went and stood behind us and started getting changed. Then I just said something like, "We've got to do something about what's going on at St Pat's." And Father Pell said, "Yes, what do you mean?" And I said, "Brother Dowlan is touching little boys." Father Pell said, "Don't be so ridiculous," and walked out.

DAVID MARK: In his statement, Cardinal Pell says, "... I have no recollection of a conversation with Mr Green in 1974, more than 40 years ago."

The Royal commission can't compel Cardinal Pell to give evidence, but says it does want him to respond to the fresh allegations, as do victims groups.

NICKY DAVIS, SURVIVORS NETWORK OF THOSE ABUSED BY PRIESTS: If Cardinal Pell is to have any credibility whatsoever on this issue, he must come back and - in person, not via video link, and give evidence before the Royal commission.

FRANCES SULLIVAN: Well I know that Cardinal Pell before he left Australia said to me, and I have communicated it to the Royal commission, that he will cooperate with Royal commission on any request, and if he can't personally be here, he will certainly be able to communicate in the public hearing by way of video, as we saw in Melbourne.

DAVID MARK: And if that day comes, David Ridsdale and other survivors will be watching.

DAVID RIDSDALE: I think most of the survivors will come. I think you sort of have to. Look, he's an old, feeble man or whatever now, but it makes no difference. It will be difficult. Every step of it's been difficult.

LEIGH SALES: David Mark reporting.