ROME
9 News
Australian survivors of sex abuse by Catholic clergy look set to meet with Cardinal George Pell in Rome and are hopeful of a meeting with the Pope.
The cardinal has been giving evidence by videolink to the child abuse royal commission, answering questions on what he knew of offending by pedophile priests in the Ballarat and Melbourne dioceses when he served there in the 1970s and 1980s.
A group of abuse survivors who travelled to Rome to hear his evidence has been scathing of his denials and blame-shifting and counsel for the commission has labelled some of his evidenced “completely implausible”.
The survivors want to press for better systems within the church to prevent child sexual abuse by clergy.
Survivors’ group spokesman David Ridsdale told reporters on Wednesday night outside the hotel where the cardinal is giving evidence that a “positive response” from him meant a meeting looked set for Thursday.
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