Cardinal George Pell says abuse inquiry will expose exaggerated claims

AUSTRALIA'S most senior Catholic says an inquiry will help determine whether reports about child abuse in the church have been a "significant exaggeration".

George Pell

AUSTRALIA'S most senior Catholic says the royal commission will help determine whether reports about child abuse in the church have been a "significant exaggeration".

“We think it's an opportunity to help the victims. It's an opportunity to clear the air, to separate fact from fiction,” Cardinal George Pell told reporters in Sydney.

He said the church had worked hard to uncover child abuse.

“We are not interested in denying the extent of misdoing in the Catholic Church. We object to it being exaggerated,” Cardinal Pell said.

“We object to being described as the only cab on the rank.

“We acknowledge, with shame, the extent of the problem and I want to assure you that we have been serious in attempting to eradicate it and deal with it.

“This commission will enable those claims to be validated or found to be a significant exaggeration.”

Cardinal Pell also questioned whether an ongoing “furore in the press” about the alleged abuse was helpful to the victims.

“To what extent are wounds simply opened by the re-running of events which have been reported not only once, but many times previously?” he asked.

Cardinal Pell said the church would “cooperate fully” and that he hoped the commission would bring the victims peace and that they would feel “that justice is being done”.

He also denied the Catholic Church knowingly transferred priests suspected of child sex abuse to other parishes.

“It is completely prohibited to shift priests who have been charged, to shift them around,” he said.

“If and where that has been done, that is against the protocols.”

AAP