AUSTRALIA
The Guardian (UK)
Melissa Davey
theguardian.com, Friday 22 August 2014
The Australian Trucking Association has joined child sexual abuse victims and their advocates in expressing outrage at comments made by Cardinal George Pell while giving evidence before a royal commission on Thursday night.
While facing questions from the royal commission into institutional responses to child sex abuse, Pell said the Catholic Church was no more responsible for child abuse carried out by church figures than a trucking company would be if they employed a driver who molested women.
“If the truck driver picks up some lady and then molests her, I don’t think it’s appropriate, because it is contrary to the policy, for the ownership, the leadership of that company to be held responsible,” Cardinal Pell told the commission via video link from Rome on Thursday.
His comments left chair of the Australian Trucking Association, Noelene Watson, fuming.
“There are more than 170,000 professional truck drivers in Australia,” she said.
“They have families and children. Cardinal Pell’s analogy is a deep insult to every one of them.”
The comments were a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the commission’s questioning of the church, she said.
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