Outspoken Priest Kevin Dillon Calls for Cardinal George Pell to Face Commission

By Marissa Calligeros
The Age
May 22, 2015

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/outspoken-priest-kevin-dillon-calls-for-cardinal-george-pell-to-face-commission-20150522-gh7c68.html

One of Victoria's most senior Catholic priests has called on Cardinal George Pell to return from the Vatican to front the royal commission into child sexual abuse.

The commission is sitting in Ballarat this week as it investigates the church's many failings in recognising and dealing with the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests and clergymen in the Victorian town dating back to the 1960s.

Geelong's Father Kevin Dillon said Cardinal Pell should return to Australia to answer allegations he tried to bribe one abuse victim to keep quiet, ignored complaints and was complicit in moving a notorious paedophile priest to a different parish.

Father Kevin Dillon. Photo: Angela Wylie

"Given the enormous focus on Ballart, given the enormous impact of all this, it would be helpful … for the Cardinal to return to face questions in person," Father Dillon said.

"Certainly, the widespread public opinion seems to be that the issue will be determined the best if he were to return."

Father Dillon said the "establishment of the facts" was paramount.

Cardinal George Pell arrives at the Vatican in 2014. Photo: Alessandra Tarantino

"One would think at first glance...that ultimately this quest would be better served if you bring people together, who have differing versions of events. It's always better to have that clarified as much as possible by the people themselves," he said.

Father Dillon of St Mary's Basilica, who has long been an outspoken supporter of abuse victims from inside the church, said it was ultimately the role of the commission to decide "whether it's appropriate, obligatory, or helpful for the Cardinal to actually return and give evidence in person, or whether that can be done by video link, or whether it's needed at all".

Pressure is mounting on Cardinal George Pell to front the child abuse royal commission in the wake of allegations he tried to bribe the nephew of paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale to stay quiet about sexual abuse.

Cardinal George Pell at Victoria's parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse and the Catholic church. Photo: Arsineh Houspian

In a statement released late on Wednesday, Cardinal Pell again denied those allegations.

"At no time did I attempt to bribe David Ridsdale or his family or offer any financial inducements for him to be silent," the statement said.

Cardinal Pell gave evidence at royal commission hearings held in Sydney in March last year. He also fronted Victoria's parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse involving the Catholic church in 2013.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten joined the chorus of people calling for the Cardinal to return from Rome, where he has a senior position presiding over the Vatican's finances.

"I do believe that George Pell should help the royal commission and if that means coming back to Australia to co-operate with the royal commission he should," Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.

Meanwhile, Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, has said his predecessor would return to Australia if asked.

Archbishop Fisher said Cardinal Pell wanted to co-operate completely with the royal commission "from the start".

The commission's Ballarat hearings have focused heavily on the offending of Ridsdale, who has been convicted for abusing more than 50 children across Victoria over three decades from 1961.

Ridsdale began abusing children when he was at the Corpus Christi in Ballarat between 1954 and 1958, the commission heard this week. He is to give evidence to the commission via video link from prison next week.

The fingers point at Cardinal Pell because he was assistant priest in the Ballarat East parish from 1973 to 1983 and lived in a presbytery with Ridsdale, who was abusing boys at St Alipius primary school.

As the Episcopal Vicar for Education in the Diocese of Ballarat from 1973 to 1984, Cardinal Pell presided over St Alipius where four Christian Brothers were paedophiles.

Timothy Green, 53, told the commission he was 12 or 13 when he told then-Father Pell that another priest, Brother Edward Vernon Dowlan, was abusing boys at St Patrick's College in late 1974.

"Father Pell said 'don't be ridiculous' and walked out," Mr Green told the commission.

"His reaction gave me the impression that he knew about Brother Dowlan, but couldn't or wouldn't do anything about it."

Cardinal Pell said he had no recollection of the conversation and could not remember Green.

"To the best of my belief, this conversation did not happen," Cardinal Pell said in his statement.

Father Dillon said he hoped the attention on Cardinal Pell would not overshadow "the suffering of so many people over such a long period of time, in all parts of the country".

"I would hope that this doesn't make people forget the broader picture of a church, which has by and large let down hundreds, if not thousands, of people and their families very, very badly indeed," he said.

Father Dillon, who has consistently supported up to 30 church abuse victims, said he continued to be contacted by victims on a daily basis.

"I've heard from three victims just this week – one in Sydney, one in Canberra, one in Melbourne," he said.

"It's quite humbling in its own way that they should seek out a priest to talk to and offer support and for me it's a great privilege to be able to do so."