Ray Hadley grills Tony Abbott on his support for George Pell

Radio host Ray Hadley confronted Tony Abbott over his support for George Pell. There was one question the former PM could not answer.

Radio host Ray Hadley has confronted Tony Abbott over his support for George Pell despite the Cardinal’s conviction on child sex offences.

Last week Hadley roasted both Mr Abbott and his fellow former prime minister John Howard, who provided an official character reference for Pell in the wake of the guilty verdict.

RELATED: John Howard’s glowing reference for Pell

The 2GB host was still fuming about Mr Howard’s decision this morning.

“I consider it to be gushing reference, considering it was for a convicted paedophile,” Hadley said.

Ray Hadley. Picture: AAP

He grilled Mr Abbott on the revelation that he had called Pell after the verdict became public knowledge. Mr Abbott has refused to discuss the details of that phone call.

“There was much discussion last week about a phone call you made to Pell after he was convicted,” Hadley said.

“I’ve sort of had to try to think about the circumstances in which I’d phone someone who I considered a friend after a conviction. I don’t think I could have done what you’ve done but we’re different types of people.”

Hadley questioned whether Mr Abbott had been asked to provide a reference of his own for Pell. The former prime minister claimed he couldn’t remember.

“I honestly don’t know whether I was asked to provide a reference or not. I have no recall of being asked to provide a reference,” Mr Abbott said.

“When it comes to the phone call, look, I’m not a fair weather friend. This was someone who was obviously going through a very, very bad experience. Now I’m not saying that he’s the only one going through bad experiences, but he has been a friend of mine for a long time, and at a time like this you’ve got to feel for people.

“You’ve got to feel for the victims, who’ve been dreadfully betrayed by an institution they should have been able to trust. You’ve got to feel for the people who are dismayed by this verdict against someone they’d put up on a pedestal.”

Former prime minister Tony Abbott. Picture: AAP

Hadley said Pell’s defenders were guilty of giving the Cardinal special treatment.

“It’s very rare, when someone’s convicted of a horrific crime, that immediately, defenders of the person convicted say: ‘Hang on, it’s not all over, there’s an appeal you know.’ Rarely does that even surface before sentencing,” he said.

“Everyone that wants to support George Pell says: ‘Hang on, you’re wrong to say all this, he’s got an appeal.’ I mean no one else gets that sort of defence.”

“That is a fair point Ray, but it’s very unusual for someone of Cardinal Pell’s seniority and substance to be on trial like this, and as we all know, there’s a sense in which the church has been on trial,” Mr Abbott replied.

He acknowledged that accusations against the Catholic Church had been disbelieved for “far too long”.

“Terrible things were happening and the victims were disbelieved,” Mr Abbott said.

“And it appears one is being disbelieved by some here as well,” Hadley shot back.

“You know, without knowing what this victim has said, there are people who have not given one sense of thought to this person. And I’m afraid the former prime minister (Mr Howard) is one of them.”

Former prime minister John Howard. Picture: AAP

“I can’t speak for John Howard. John Howard is a friend of mine, he was my colleague and mentor for very many years,” Mr Abbott said.

“He’s a good man, I just think he’s made an error of judgment here,” said Hadley.

Mr Abbott acknowledged the jury had unanimously delivered a “damning verdict” against his friend, and he “absolutely accepted” that the courts were “the best means we have of coming to the truth”.

The pair’s conversation was serious but amicable — a contrast with last week, when Hadley said Mr Abbott had shown “a complete lack of understanding of victims of paedophiles”.

“His electorate would be looking at all this at the moment and scratching their heads,” the radio host said at the time.

But he reserved particular venom for Mr Howard, whose character reference described Pell as “a person of both high intelligence and exemplary character”.

George Pell outside court. Picture: Getty

“I am aware he has been convicted of those charges; that an appeal against the conviction has been lodged and that he maintains his innocence in respect of these charges. None of these matters alter my opinion of the Cardinal,” Mr Howard wrote.

“I have known Cardinal Pell for approximately 30 years. We first became acquainted when he was, I think, an Assistant Bishop in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Inevitably we became better known to each other after he became Archbishop of Melbourne and, later still, Archbishop of Sydney.

“Cardinal Pell is a person of both high intelligence and exemplary character. Strength and sincerity have always been features of his personality. I have always found him to be lacking hypocrisy and cant. In his chosen vocation he has frequently displayed much courage and held to his values and beliefs, irrespective of the prevailing wisdom of the time.

“Cardinal Pell is a lively conversationalist who maintains a deep and objective interest in contemporary social and political issues.

“It is my view that he has dedicated his life to his nation and his church.”