Cardinal George Pell WILL have to give evidence at royal commission into horrific child abuse in Victoria

By Sarah Carty
Daily Mail
June 1, 2015

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3105624/Royal-commission-says-ask-Cardinal-George-Pell-evidence-horrific-child-abuse-Victoria.html

Cardinal George Pell has been accused of bribing abused victims to keep quiet and ignoring complaints

Peter Saunders, who is a victim of sexual abuse himself, has broken his silence about Cardinal George Pell

Abused victims called on Cardinal Pell last week to front the royal commission following several allegations

Cardinal George Pell will be asked to give evidence at the royal commission into child sex abuse in the second of the Ballarat hearings.

Cardinal Pell wrote to the Royal Commission last month saying he was willing to appear before the inquiry in Australia.

In a statement on Monday the royal commission said international residents could not be summonsed to appear at a hearing.

But because Cardinal Pell has expressed his intention to fully co-operate with the investigations they would ask him to give evidence.

'The Chair has received a letter from Cardinal Pell indicating that he is prepared to come to Australia to give evidence,' the statement says.

'The royal commission will ask him to give evidence in the second of the Ballarat hearings.'

Cardinal Pell has been under fire since allegations that he turned a blind eye to abuse resurfaced last week at the royal commission into child sexual abuse in Ballarat of Victoria.

On Sunday one of Pope Francis' closest advisers said Cardinal George Pell's position is 'untenable'.

Peter Saunders was hand-picked by the Pope six months ago to be the Catholic Church's commissioner for the protection of children.

Appearing on Nine Network's 60 Minutes program, Mr Saunders has slammed Cardinal Pell's actions, describing him as a 'dangerous individual, callousness and cold-heartedness'.  

'I personally think that his position is untenable, because he has now a catalogue of denials,' Mr Saunders said in an extraordinary interview which aired on Sunday night.

'He has a catalogue of denigrating people, of acting with callousness, cold-heartedness, almost sociopathic, I would go as far as to say – this lack of care.'

Following the developments of allegations made against Pell, Mr Saunders described his actions as a 'danger' to child sexual abuse victims.

'I would go as far as to say that I consider him to be quite a dangerous individual,' he said.

Mr Saunders, who is a victim of child sexual abuse himself, has also called on Pope Francis to 'take the strongest action' against Australia's most senior catholic, Cardinal Pell.

'I think it's critical that George Pell is moved aside, that he is sent back to Australia, and that the Pope takes the strongest action against him,' he said.

'He is making a mockery of the Pope himself, but most of all of the victims and the survivors.

'More importantly, anybody who is a serious obstacle to the work of the commission and to the work of the Pope in trying to clean up the church's act over this matter needs to be taken aside very quickly and removed from any kind of position of influence.'

Abused victims called on Pell last week to front the royal commission following several claims he ignored warnings about Australia's worst pedophile priest, Gerald Ridsdale.

They also gave evidence, claiming Pell had bribed them to keep quiet, ignored complaints and was complicit in moving Ridsdale to a different parish.

Cardinal Pell told the commission he would co-operate with the investigations and would attend the hearings if he was asked to do so.