Ballarat residents and Diocese respond to death of Cardinal George Pell

Cardinal George Pell began his career in holy orders at Ballarat. Here’s how the city reacted to his death.

A wave of emotion could be felt in Ballarat on Wednesday as the city still haunted by child sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the clergy comes to terms with the death of one of Australia’s highest-ranking Catholics.

The name George Pell evokes plenty of emotions in Ballarat, where the Cardinal was born and raised.

His last years were plagued by allegations he abused two choirboys when he was the Archbishop of Melbourne, though he was later acquitted.

Pell, who throughout his life climbed clergy ranks to gain a position in the Vatican, died in Rome on January 10. He was aged 81.

News of his death has sparked an outpouring of emotion in Ballarat -- from both survivors of child sexual abuse and his supporters.

Former St Patrick’s College principal Dr Peter Casey was “quite shaken and quite saddened” to hear the news of Cardinal Pell’s passing.

Pell attended the college as a boy.

“As the headmaster of St Patrick’s College I sat in a unique position to meet with the Cardinal on many occasions,” he said.

“The Cardinal held the school in the highest regard and was very generous in many ways with his time and donations.

George Pell in his final year at school.

“I think that one of the anomalies of the Cardinal is that many people see him as an out-there figure, larger than life, and standing first for things that he believed in firmly, and which not everyone else agreed; and yet, on a one-to-one basis, he was an amazingly personable character.

“He was a Ballarat local, he knew lots of local families and was very quick to make connections with the boys and their families: that’s a side of him that not that many people got to see.”

Asked about the Cardinal’s lasting image, Dr Casey said “the damage has been done”.

“Some of it he brought on himself just because of the fact that he appeared pig-headed,” he said.

“He spoke from conviction and that will be his legacy I think: the fact that many, many, many will revere him and his memory, and others will remember him purely because of the media reporting of allegations which were ultimately dismissed by the courts.”

He went on: “My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who knew him and didn’t mind him and loved him for the great man he was.”

George Pell at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City in 2017. Photo: Franco Origlia

Support for survivors of clergy abuse

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that Cardinal Pell knew about sexual abuse at the hands of clergy but did not take action to address it. It also found he tried to discourage more victims from coming forward.

Ballarat resident Blake Curran, whose late father was the victim of three Catholic priests, said he felt relief hearing of the Cardinal’s death.

“I did feel a lot of weight taken off for some reason initially hearing [of it], but I do know there will be others who are angry and upset as well, with the news that some of the truth still hasn’t come to light,” he said.

“To be honest every time I see his face on the news or see his name, it brings up a bit of anxiety for me, let alone what it would do for others who were more deeply impacted by it.

“From what I’ve heard from a variety of people today - survivors and victims and advocates - it’s been a big mixture of emotions for everybody.”

Mr Curran said his main message was for people to look after themselves.

“The thing that’s really jumped out is how the Ballarat community has been so kind today to each other,” he said.

“It seems like within a decade, I think the whole atmosphere of the Ballarat community in regard to these issues has changed.”

Another survivor, Paul Levey, also described feeling relief at the news.

Mr Levey was abused by prolific paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale when he was sent to live with him at Mortlake presbytery.

Cardinal Pell’s career was plagued by the infamous moment captured on camera in 1993, when he accompanied Ridsdale - his friend and former roommate - to court to face allegations of child sexual abuse.

Mr Levey said seeing Cardinal Pell’s name plastered on the news every few months always triggered him and so he hoped his passing meant this would be the last time that happened.

His conversations with other survivors on Wednesday indicated that most felt the same way.

Despite this, he does feel disappointed that Cardinal Pell “took a lot of secrets to the grave”.

“He and the Ballarat Diocese were privy to Ridsdale’s offending,” he said.

“Especially what happened to me at Mortlake Presbytery.”

Mr Levey was abused on almost a daily basis while he lived with him.

“Pell and the other bishops had a duty of care to remove Ridsdale and have him charged but instead they pushed it all under the carpet,” he added.

Ridsdale, who has been convicted and is behind bars, is known to have abused at least 70 children.

Noting Pell’s death might trigger other survivors who had so far remained silent to come forward, he stated it was a much different landscape compared with a few years ago.

“There is much more support now, especially for males,” Mr Levey said.

“People should know they can come forward and it is safe for them.

“Plus the church doesn’t have the stronghold it did years ago when Catholic families hid what was happening and people believed priests before their own children.”

His message for survivors was to stay strong through the mixed emotions day and the following weeks would bring and to seek support if required.

City of Ballarat Cr Belinda Coates, who worked as a social worker before her career in local government, went to Rome to support survivors watching the Cardinal give evidence to the Royal Commission.

She said the news of his death would “be a relief to many, but also very triggering to others”.

“[There will be a] profound impact on Ballarat’s past and present survivors and others indirectly affected locally,” she told the Herald Sun.

Survivor Peter Blenkiron was part of the delegation which travelled to Rome when Cardinal Pell could not make the trip to Australia due to health issues.

“The Royal Commission found he knew and did nothing, whatever else he has to face when he meets his maker is between those two,” Mr Blenkiron told the Herald Sun.

“More importantly, our hearts, understanding, compassion and support needs to go out to those who still suffer because of his action or lack of.”

City of Ballarat mayor Des Hudson said the news of Cardinal George Pell’s death would trigger “many a mixed feeling” in the community, but especially for survivors or families of people affected by child sexual abuse.

He encouraged community members to be kind and to reach out to loved ones.

Cr Hudson stressed the importance of survivors practising self-care and leaning on their support systems as they come to terms with the news.

“Talk to people if you need and know there is a network in the community who are there to make sure you’re okay,” he said.

Federal MP Catherine King said today would be a “day of complex emotions for many”.

Ribbons tied to the wrought-iron fence and gates outside St Patrick's Catholic Cathedral in Ballarat. Picture: Craig Hughes

“My thoughts are once again with the survivors across our community who stood up so bravely and will once again be facing immense personal challenges,” she said.

“I ask members across the community to be gentle with one another and to provide each other with the support and care that they need.”

LOUD Fence Ballarat, an organisation promoting the tying of ribbons to fences to mark sites of child sexual abuse, said today and coming days would potentially be “difficult for many”.

“Stay safe by reaching out to loved ones, friends and support services,” it posted online.

A ‘complicated’ legacy

Australian Catholic University said it was “mourning” Cardinal Pell on Wednesday.

“Cardinal Pell was a key figure of the Australian Catholic Church, the international Catholic Church and was fundamentally involved in the establishment of Australian Catholic University (ACU),” the university said in a statement.

“Since the 1970s Cardinal Pell held more than 20 significant leadership positions in Catholic higher education in Australia.”

He was a member of the Amalgamation Implementation Committee which established ACU, was appointed as its Foundation Pro-Chancellor and served as President of the ACU Corporation.

Cardinal Pell also served as Rector of Aquinas College in Ballarat, President of the Institute of Catholic Education in Victoria, Rector of Corpus Christi College in Clayton and was the Founder of the Melbourne session of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family.

He also served as Chancellor of the Catholic Institute of Sydney and was a Co-Founder of the Sydney campuses of the University of Notre Dame Australia.

The university conferred an honorary doctorate on Cardinal Pell in 2015 for “a lifetime of outstanding contribution to the Catholic Church in Australia and internationally, to ACU and the advancement of Catholic higher education in Australia, and to the Catholic intellectual tradition.”

George Pell walking with a police escort from his lawyers office to the Melbourne Magistrates' Court in October 2017. Photo: Darrian Traynor

ACU Chancellor, the Honourable Martin Daubney AM KC, said Cardinal Pell was a “central figure in the formation and foundation of the university”.

“From the time of its inception, Cardinal Pell maintained a deep and abiding interest in ACU. The Church and its institutions in Australia and abroad are indebted to Cardinal Pell for his leadership and contribution to our community.

“His death will be felt by many in the Australian church and the wider community. We join with all people of faith in praying for the repose of his soul.”

ACU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Zlatko Skrbis added that Cardinal Pell had played a significant role in bringing the founding colleges together to establish the university.

“As Foundation Pro-Chancellor, Cardinal Pell was instrumental in ensuring that ACU was set up for success. He was extraordinarily generous in lending his expertise to ACU.

“I regularly had the benefit of his advice, which was always thoughtful and always greatly valued.”

The university, which has a campus in Ballarat, stood firm against taking action in renaming the Pell Centre in 2019, stating it would not do so until legal matters concluded.

“There has been speculation about the name of the Pell Centre at ACU’s Ballarat Campus, with some suggestions that the University has made a ‘recent decision’ to retain its name,” vice-chancellor and president Professor Greg Craven said at the time.

George Pell arriving at Melbourne County Court in February 2019. Photo: Michael Dodge

Vicar-general Fr Kevin Maloney said Cardinal Pell’s most significant work within the Ballarat diocese was pedagogical.

“He started off as a priest in the Ballarat diocese and he worked in a number of parishes in the diocese and then in the Catholic education office for a while,” he said.

“One of the things he did do was, we had a small teaching college here … he developed that into a fairly large institution over a period of time and it became part of the canvas eventually of Australian Catholic University. So he had a lot to do with teacher formation.

“His main area in our diocese would have been in education and in the development of the facilities to train teachers for the Catholic primary sector of our education system.”

Fr Maloney said he knew the Cardinal personally some time ago, and that he was “easy to get on with” while also being ambitious and holding “fairly strong views”.

He said the memory of Cardinal Pell within the diocese was “complicated”.

“There would be a group in the diocese and in Ballarat generally … who would have very fond thoughts of him, and have kept a good relationship with him,” Fr Maloney said.

“But there’d also be thoughts that go in the other direction as well.

“He leaves a complicated legacy.”

George Pell at the Easter vigil mass at St. Peter's Basilica in March 2016. Photo: Franco Origlia

Father Ed Moloney, administrator of the St Patrick’s Cathedral, said the church had honoured Cardinal Pell’s passing at mass on Wednesday morning.

“There was a stillness this morning. This is very much his home. There’s a lot of history here,” he said.

“It has come as a surprise. I watched an international interview [of Pell] recently and he looked very happy, I thought he looked quite content and was in good form.

“With all the strain that he’s been under the past few years, I was taken by the peacefulness on his face.”

Fr Moloney said the church would also hold a 10am mass on Thursday to allow churchgoers to “pray for the repose of his soul”.

“It is part of life. We all come and go. It doesn’t matter whether we’re the cardinal, the Pope, or a good humble parishioner, this is the mortality and the reality of the human condition.

“In the eyes of the faith, we believe there’s something beyond this.”

Ribbons to honour the suffering of child sex abuse survivors remain on the gates outside St Patrick’s Cathedral.

“The reality is the church has had a difficult last 20 or so years,” Fr Moloney said.

“That’s our story. We’re doing all we can at the moment and we have been with those in leadership … to try and bring healing and peace and reconciliation.

“We have a responsibility to continue to heal and do what we can, which the church is doing.

“There comes a time … to find the middle ground where we can not deny the past or reality but move on so the church can do what it’s meant to do.

“The church is sorry. There’s been many sorry’s said over the last 20 years.

“We need to look forward in hope for all people who have been hurt in anyway because forgiveness is at the essence. No one is perfect, no one is, and we all need forgiveness in some way, shape or form.”

Crisis line

Ballarat Centre Against Sexual Assault’s operations director Katrina Bevelander said some survivors might be affected by the news and encouraged self-care.

“We are thinking of and stand in solidarity with the survivors impacted by today’s news,” she said.

“People may experience a trauma response ranging from anything such as flashbacks, sleep difficulties, anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, struggling with daily tasks and demands and a range of heightened emotions.

“These reactions are normal, and it is important to understand that you do not have to manage this alone.”

Ms Bevelander said dealing with sexual assault could be distressing and encouraged loves ones of survivors to reach out to them and check in.

“Sometimes people can find it difficult to reach out of their own accord and may appreciate you checking in with them.”

She also encouraged survivors to reach out to trusted people or services “ to ward off any feelings of isolation”.

Ballarat CASA can be contacted on 5320 3933 between 9am and 5pm or people can access the Sexual Assault Crisis Line after hours on 1800 806 292.