60 Minutes interview demands George Pell fronts Royal Commission
Updated: 60 Minutes revisits a 2002 interview with George Pell, now with a Vatican commissioner into abuse saying, “He is making a mockery of the papal commission."
- Published by David Knox
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Last night 60 Minutes turned up the heat on Cardinal George Pell to front the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, with Peter Saunders telling Tara Brown Pell was undermining the Pope’s zero-tolerance policy towards sex abuse in the Church.
Saunders has been handpicked by Pope Francis to sit on the new Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
“I think it’s critical that George Pell is moved aside, that he is sent back to Australia, and that the Pope takes the strongest action against him,” he said.
“He is making a mockery of the papal commission, of the Pope himself, but most of all of the victims and the survivors. More importantly, anybody who is a serious obstacle to the work of the commission and to the work of the Pope in trying to clean up the church’s act over this matter needs to be taken aside very quickly and removed from any kind of position of influence.”
The report revisited Pell’s 2002 60 Minutes interview (pictured, below) with Richard Carleton in which he said he had not been shown a photo of a young Emma Foster who had attempted suicide following abuse by her school priest. It was contrasted by footage from 2013 in which he admitted seeing the photo.
“Those photographs, they are not something that you would forget,” said Saunders.
Witnesses at the Royal Commission in Ballarat have accused Pell of moving paedophile priest Father Gerald Ridsdale from parish to parish and allege he try to silence them with a bribe.
Pell has denied the allegation and said he would attend the hearings if he was asked to do so.
Updated: Statement from George Pell to 60 Minutes:
Cardinal Pell has been informed of the contents of the 60 Minutes program this evening. The false and misleading claims made against His Eminence are outrageous.
From his earliest actions as an Archbishop, Cardinal Pell has taken a strong stand against child sexual abuse and put in place processes to enable complaints to be brought forward and independently investigated.
Cardinal Pell has never met Mr Saunders, who seems to have formed his strong opinions without ever having spoken to His Eminence.
In light of all of the available material, including evidence from the Cardinal under oath, there is no excuse for broadcasting incorrect and prejudicial material.
In the circumstances, the Cardinal is left no alternative but to consult with his legal advisers.
6pm: Royal Commission has confirmed it will invite Pell to appear.
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4 Responses
“60 Minutes interview demands George Pell fronts Royal Commission”
What? Then the demand needs to be made of the Commissioners, not of Pell, who, as the final line in your story indicates David, has said he would appear if requested.
abc.net.au/news/2015-05-27/cardinal-george-pell-willing-to-give-evidence-to-inquiry/6500428
And, let’s not forget Pell has already appeared before the Commission, in March 2014.
I have no interest in defending Pell or the Catholic Church, however I do have an abiding passion for even-handedness.
Pell has appeared before the Commission, once in person when he was in Australia and one via Skype from Italy over other matters, and has offered to do so again but the Commission is yet to ask him to (they are still collecting and publicising information they could use to roast him over this matter).
Though after sustained attacks from the SMH, ABC, Sixty Minutes and Saunders based on no evidence, Pell has now hired lawyers and will likely say nothing.
Based on no evidence? This article highlights one lie told by Pell with regards to Emma Foster. Interesting that Pell claims to have taken a strong stand against child abuse in the Church, yet he frequently has no recollection of the victims or the facts.
So a 73 year old who dealt with lots of different cases remembering something differently 11 years apart is a lie? No evidence of a crime being committed has been presented.
Pell set up the Catholic Church’s first procedures for dealing with priests who commit sexual abuse in 1996. Did they get everything right straight away no. It also to society a while to establish procedures for dealing with abuse too.
Pell has for 30 years been an outspoken speaker for the Catholic Church and clashed with many progressive figures and media organisations. And that has nothing to do with them going after him and ignoring the actual findings of the commission would it?
Anything other than guilt by association and ad hominem attacks?
The Commission as again stated that has not asked Pell to appear again. But said it will when it has finished collecting information about Risdale.