Cardinal George Pell ‘surprised’ by royal commission’s views after being savaged by inquiry

After unredacted royal commission chapters savaged George Pell, the Cardinal says some of the inquiry’s views ‘are not supported by evidence’.

Cardinal George Pell has been savaged by the child sex abuse royal commission.

• Pell told commission: ‘I should have done more’
• Pell aware of offending in 1970s
• Pell should have advised church to remove Searson

Cardinal George Pell says he is “surprised” by some of the “views … about his actions” after being savaged by the child sex abuse royal commission, which has accused him of involvement in the movement of a relentless abuser, failing to recommend the removal of another and not doing enough to deal with a third criminal clergyman.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was established in 2013 by the federal government. Its findings were made public in December 2017.

The long-awaited unredacted chapters of the royal commission show the inquiry sharply rejected some of Cardinal Pell’s evidence.

This is particularly the case with Gerald Ridsdale, one of the world’s worst Catholic abusers, who the commission found was moved in 1982 to Sydney by Cardinal Pell and other consultors with the knowledge that he was a child sex offender.

Cardinal Pell says the royal commission’s views “are not supported by evidence”.

“The consultors who gave evidence on the meetings in 1977 and 1982 either said they did not learn of Ridsdale’s offending against children until much later or they had no recollection of what was discussed,” Pell said in a statement on Thursday.

“None said they were made aware of Ridsdale’s offending at these meetings.

“The then Father Pell left the Diocese of Ballarat and therefore his position as a consultor at the end of 1984.

“As an Auxiliary Bishop in Melbourne 1987-96, Bishop Pell met with a delegation from Doveton Parish in 2989 which did not mention sexual assaults and did not ask for Searson’s removal.

“Appointed Archbishop of Melbourne on 16 August 1996, Arshbishop Pell placed Fr Searson on administrative leave in March 1997 and removed him from the parish on 15 May 1997.”

Cardinal Pell was a relatively junior priest at the time of Ridsdale’s offending but as a consultor, the commission found that he must have known about Ridsdale’s actions.

The commission found: “Cardinal Pell’s evidence that ‘paedophilia was not mentioned’ and that the ‘true’ reason was not given is not accepted.”

“It is implausible given the matters set out above that Bishop (Ronald) Mulkearns did not inform those at the meeting of at least complaints of sexual abuse of children having been made.”

George Pell with Gerald Ridsdale outside court in 1993.

Asked by the commission about the movement of Ridsdale, Cardinal Pell had said: “I knew nothing about his paedophilia.”

But the commission also found that in 1973 that Cardinal Pell had some concerns about Ridsdale’s activities, including taking children on overnight camping trips.

The commission also found that Cardinal Pell, 78, should have done more to remove the pedophile priest Peter Searson in 1989, when Cardinal Pell was on the rise in the church in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

Further, the commission notes that Cardinal Pell was aware of reports of sex abuse at St Patrick’s College in Ballarat in the 1970s but failed to do enough to make sure the claims were dealt with.

Cardinal Pell is expected to comment later today.

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Pell aware of offending at St Patrick’s in 1970s

The royal commission report notes that Cardinal Pell was aware of potential sex offending at Ballarat’s St Patrick’s College in the early 1970s.

This related at least in part to the notorious Christian Brother offender Ted Dowlan.

The commission reported: “Cardinal Pell agreed that he knew some of the Christian Brothers who taught at the school, to varying extents, including Brothers Fitzgerald, Dowlan, Farrell and Best.”

“Counsel Assisting asked Cardinal Pell when he first heard of Christian Brothers in Ballarat offending against children.

“He responded: ‘That’s a very good question. Perhaps in the early 1970s I heard things about Dowlan’ at St Patrick’s College.’’

\St Patrick's College, Ballarat.

On Dowlan, Pell had told the commission he was warned about his offending.

The commission said: “Cardinal Pell said his recollection of the students who came to him was that ‘one of the lads said that Dowlan was misbehaving’ but they did not say they had gone to the principal or ‘anything like that’.”

“He recalled it was one ‘St Pat’s boy’ that he remembered. When asked whether he remembered this boy’s name, Cardinal Pell said, ‘Yes, I do, and he recollected it years later, but I remembered him as a good and honest lad and I didn’t think he’d be telling – I couldn’t remember the actual incident, but I didn’t think he’d be telling lies’.

“Cardinal Pell subsequently said that he and this boy happened to be together and ‘he just mentioned it casually in conversation. He never asked me to do anything. It wasn’t technically – well, I suppose it was technically a complaint, a lament’.”

Dowlan did two stints in jail for the abuse of 31 boys.

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Pell told commission: ‘I should have done more’

The royal commission stated that Cardinal Pell should have done more with his knowledge of serial abuser Dowlan’s offending.

“We are satisfied that in the early 1970s Cardinal Pell was told by one or two students, and one or two priests, about Dowlan’s infractions of a sexual nature with minors.

“We accept that Cardinal Pell concluded at the time that Dowlan must, at the very least, have been unwise and imprudent.

“We are satisfied that Cardinal Pell told the chaplain at St Patrick’s College, Father Davey, about the rumours he had heard about Dowlan.

“We accept that Father Davey told him there were problems and that the Christian Brothers were looking into it.

“It is not known what Father Davey did with the information that Cardinal Pell provided to him. Cardinal Pell did not tell Brother Paul Nangle or Bishop Ronald Mulkearns about what he had heard.

“Cardinal Pell told us that, with hindsight, he should have done more. In particular, he told us he should have consulted Brother Nangle and ensured that the matter was properly treated.”

“Cardinal Pell said he regretted not doing more at the time. We agree that he should have consulted Brother Nangle and ensured that the matter was properly treated.”

The following is a royal commission exchange about what Cardinal Pell had heard about Christian Brother offending in Ballarat. The brothers sexually abused hundreds of children.

Q: “When you say ‘possibly other infractions’, you mean of a sexual nature?”

Pell: “I do.”

Q: “Who did you hear that from?”

A: “Once again, it’s difficult to recall accurately. I could have heard it from one or two of the students and certainly I think one or two of the priests mentioned that there were problems and some of them believed they were very – because of harsh discipline.”

Q: “And the problems described to you were problems of a sexual kind with children?”

P: “None of the activities were described to me, they were just referred to briefly.”

Q: “But you answered the question of, ‘When you say possibly other infractions, you mean of a sexual nature?’, you agreed with that proposition?”

P: “Yes, that was a – that’s correct.”

Q: “And it could only have been sexual with children, couldn’t it?”

P: “That’s correct, with minors.”

‘Bishop Mulkearns’ conduct was appalling’

The unredacted royal commission report has slammed the late Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns over his disgraceful failure to protect one of Ridsdale’s victims.

Bishop Mulkearns deliberately left the boy in danger, the commission found.

The victim had lived for a period with Ridsdale in the Mortlake presbytery as a teenager.

“It is clear that Bishop Mulkearns should not have appointed Ridsdale parish priest of Mortlake, given his knowledge of the priest’s history,” the commission found.

“Bishop Mulkearns deliberately left (the victim) in danger.

“The Church parties properly conceded that the possibility that Ridsdale was abusing (the boy) should have occurred to Bishop Mulkearns and, given the knowledge he already had about Ridsdale by this time, he should have insisted that the boy be removed from the presbytery immediately.

“This was an extraordinary and inexcusable failure by Bishop Mulkearns, and his failure to act subjected Mr Levey to ongoing sexual abuse by Ridsdale.

“Bishop Mulkearns’ conduct was appalling.”

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Pell should have advised church to remove Searson

In a double blow to Cardinal Pell, the royal commission also found he should have advised the church hierarchy to remove deviant priest Peter Searson from a Melbourne parish in 1989.

The unredacted commission reports show the inquiry found that Cardinal Pell should have backed Searson’s removal.

Peter Searson.

“It was incumbent on Bishop Pell, as an auxiliary bishop with responsibilities for the welfare of the children in the Catholic community of his region, to take such action as he could to advocate that Father Searson be removed or suspended or, at least, that a thorough investigation be undertaken of the allegations,” the commission found.

Searson, now dead, pulled a gun on some Year 12 students, killed animals in front of children and showed them dead bodies in coffins.

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Civil action ‘a distinct possibility’

Thursday’s release of the unredacted royal commission papers comes after Cardinal Pell was released from prison last month after the High Court ruled 7-0 his way.

He was acquitted of five sexual assault convictions relating to claimed incidents at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1996 and 1997.

Cardinal Pell has been the church’s figurehead since he was elevated to Archbishop of Melbourne in 1996.

As cardinal, he remains the most senior Australian church figure although now was no stated role after recently being released from Barwon Prison.

Cardinal George Pell leaves Barwon Prison last month. Picture: AFP

Cardinal Pell gave evidence from Rome in 2016 via video link, which covered Ballarat and Melbourne abuse cases.

Cardinal Pell grew up in Ballarat and was well known in the community.

He was a family friend of the Ridsdale family.

Gerald Ridsdale, the disgraced priest, is feared to have up to 500 victims and is considered to be among the global church’s worst offenders.

Cardinal Pell served 405 days in prison before being freed.

There were doubts about the redactions being released after another complainant was being examined by police.

It now seems less likely any further criminal court action against Cardinal Pell will occur but civil action is a distinct possibility.

Cardinal Pell has said he did not expect to be troubled by the royal commission redactions but lawyers for survivors had always believed it likely that the redactions would be unflattering to him.

Chapters relating to two key incidents were redacted in the final report.

The first was the movement of Ridsdale in 1982.

Cardinal Pell was a relatively junior priest who was a consulter who helped decide the movement of Ridsdale out of the parish.

Counsel assisting the royal commission said: “It is submitted it was the common understanding of the meeting that complaints that Ridsdale had sexually abused children was the reason it had become necessary to move him,” counsel assisting said.

“It follows that the conduct of any consulter who agreed to move Ridsdale, or indeed any priest, with knowledge of allegations of child sexual abuse made against them, is unacceptable.”

Cardinal Pell told the commission that then-Bishop of Ballarat, Ronald Mulkearns, had lied to him about why Ridsdale was being moved and that despite widespread rumours about Ridsdale and others he knew nothing about the abuse.

The commission also heard that when an auxiliary bishop in Melbourne, Cardinal Pell failed to act on allegations of violent and sexual misconduct by a disgraced priest Peter Searson, who is now dead.

Cardinal Pell said that, like Ridsdale, Searson’s activities had been kept from him, but counsel assisting argued that there was no attempt by others in the church to deceive him.

Thursday’s developments come as Ridsdale last week admitted abusing more children, with a further 10 counts of indecent assault and four counts of buggery against children.

It is feared that Ridsdale could have as many as 500 victims, with close to 70 confirmed cases having gone through the courts.

He is a former friend of Cardinal Pell and the pair briefly shared accommodation in Ballarat but Cardinal Pell insists he knew nothing of Ridsdale’s activities.