ROME
9 News
AAP
WHAT GEORGE PELL KNEW AND DIDN’T KNOW
ABOUT BR EDWARD DOWLAN
Was told fleeting references about Dowlan “touching boys” which Cardinal Pell said was “misbehaviour by Dowlan which I concluded might have been pedophilic activity”.
A student at Ballarat’s St Patrick’s College student told him in 1974 Dowlan was “misbehaving” with boys.
The cardinal said the boy “mentioned it casually in conversation” and did not ask him to do anything.
“I didn’t do anything about it,” Cardinal Pell said, although he went to the school chaplain who said the Christian Brothers were dealing with it.
He also heard “unfortunate rumours” that were vague and unspecific about Dowlan’s activity with young people from other priests.
Asked if he understood it to include sexual activity with young people: “Yes, and possibly excessive discipline or violence but certainly the first was, an element was present.”
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