AUSTRALIA
The Age
Sex abuse royal commission: Church lawyers urged to challenge victims’ claims against George Pell
May 21, 2015
Jane Lee
Legal Affairs Reporter for The Age
The chairman of the royal commission into child sexual abuse has urged church authorities to challenge claims that former Bishop George Pell attempted to bribe a victim of clerical abuse and ignored the pleas of another.
Commission chairman Peter McClellan is expected to make a determination on the veracity of the explosive allegations against Cardinal Pell, and implored church lawyers to test the evidence put to the commission.
Late on Wednesday night Cardinal Pell sent a statement from Rome to the royal commission, strenuously denying the allegations from survivors David Ridsdale and Timothy Green.
Chairman of the commission Justice McClellan stressed that he expected Cardinal Pell to defend himself against the claims if he was arguing the witnesses had deliberately given false evidence or made a mistake.
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