Abuse royal commission: archbishops call fair go for Pell

The Catholic archbishops of Sydney and Brisbane call for George Pell to be treated fairly before­ the royal commission.

Cardinal George Pell has denied ‘spurious’ allegations against him.

The archbishops of Sydney and Brisbane have called for George Pell to be treated fairly before­ the royal commission following reports of an investigation into ­allegations of child sexual abuse by the cardinal.

Archbishop of Sydney Anth­ony Fisher said yesterday that he hoped Cardinal Pell’s evidence before the child-sex abuse royal commission would be heard ­“respectfully”.

“We can all be tempted to jump to conclusions after media headlines, but it is always better to withhold judgment until we have heard all the facts,” he said. “It is everyone’s right to a fair and transparent process free of particular agendas other than truth.”

It was reported on Saturday that detectives from Victoria Police Taskforce SANO were ­examining a range of allegations against Cardinal Pell from 1978 until 2001. Cardinal Pell has vehemently denied the “spurious” and “false” allegations.

Cardinal Pell is due to give evidence via video link from Rome next week over his knowledge of abuse in the Ballarat diocese and Melbourne archdiocese. Singer Tim Minchin and others have criticised the decision by the royal commission to allow Cardinal Pell to give evidence from Rome ­rather than return to Australia.

Archbishop of Brisbane Mark Coleridge said he fully supported Cardinal Pell’s right to be treated in a just manner before the commission, as with any other witness.

“Tim Minchin’s vile ditty and the leaked allegations against Cardinal Pell violate that right,” he said. “Violating that right also violates the integrity and the processes of the royal commission, which cannot be in the best interests of the survivors of abuse.”

Between 1973 and 1983, Cardinal Pell served as assistant parish priest in Ballarat East and was a member of the College of Consultors for the diocese between 1977 and 1984.

It is expected he will be asked about his knowledge of pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale’s offending, as he was present at consultors’ meetings when Ridsdale was moved between parishes following complaints to the bishop.

Victim Timothy Green gave evidence to the inquiry he told Cardinal Pell in 1974 that Christian Brother Edward Dowlan was abusing boys at Ballarat’s St Patrick’s College. Cardinal Pell has said he has no recollection of the incident and it did not happen.

The commission also heard evidence Cardinal Pell tried to bribe victim David Ridsdale when he disclosed his abuse by his uncle Gerald Ridsdale in 1993. Cardinal Pell has denie­d the allegation.

The cardinal is expected to face further questioning over failures by the Melbourne archdiocese, where he served as auxiliary bishop from 1987 to 1996.

Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart has told the ­inquiry there was a failure in the handling of complaints by the archdiocese and he would have ­expected Cardinal Pell to have an “adequate degree of knowledge” about the situation in Doveton parish, in Melbourne’s southeast, where the local priest was a pedophile who once held a knife to a schoolgirl’s chest.

“Whether he knew all these awful things, which make me feel ashamed, I’m not sure,” Archbishop Hart said.

The royal commission returns to Ballarat today with a focus on the response of the Catholic Church and the Christian Brothers to allegations of abuse.

Former bishop Ronald Mul­kearns is expected to give evidence this week. However, he has bowel cancer and his doctors have advised­ he suffers from cognitive problems and has a poor memory.