Cardinall Pell ‘uninterested’ in child sexual abuse scandal

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This satirical music video from Australia says about itself:

Come Home (Cardinal Pell) – Tim Minchin

16 February 2016

Hi, I do hope you enjoy my new song.

Proceeds from its sale will go into this fund.

You can buy it here on iTunes; or Google Play.

You can also purchase the video here.

You can stream it here on Apple Music; or on Spotify.

It’s available worldwide and will soon be up on various other digital music outlets.

It might be rather confusing for non-Australians so I’ve put some background info for yez here; and my follow up statement is here.

From the BBC in Britain:

Vatican finance boss George Pell taunted over ‘cowardice’

18 February 2016

A provocative song and a public drive to raise funds to send child sex abuse victims to the Vatican have sparked fresh controversy around Australia’s most senior Catholic, writes Trevor Marshallsea.

In 2014, Cardinal George Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney, was summoned to Rome to become chief of the Vatican’s finances, a new position created by Pope Francis in the wake of scandals at the Vatican Bank.

But Cardinal Pell left another scandal behind him, and the anger over widespread sexual abuse of children by members of the Catholic clergy continues to rage in Australia.

The cardinal was once again under fire this week over his refusal, on medical grounds, to return home to front the Royal Commission which is investigating how various institutions responded to the child abuse allegations.

‘Come home, Cardinal Pell’

Tall and imperious, seen as aloof and arrogant by detractors, the 74-year-old has repeatedly faced allegations from abuse victims of a cover-up.

These include that he was involved in moving notorious paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale around parishes rather than reporting him, and that he attempted to bribe one of the victims of the now jailed priest to keep quiet.

Australia’s worst paedophile priest, Father Gerald Ridsdale, once lived with a young clergyman who is now Cardinal George Pell. As the Cardinal prepares to give evidence to the child abuse royal commission, two women break decades of silence to tell Debi Marshall about their ordeal in Ridsdale’s care – and their disappointment with Pell: here.

From the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia:

Cardinal George Pell uninterested in Ridsdale sex claims, Royal Commission hears

March 1, 2016 – 10:41AM

By Rachel Browne

Complaints about a paedophile priest were “common knowledge” in the Catholic community and among two senior clergy members but Cardinal George Pell did not have “much interest” in them, he told a royal commission.

In his second day of questioning about what he knew of sexual offending by priests when he was in Victoria, Cardinal Pell’s admission drew an audible gasp from those listening to his testimony.

Giving his evidence via video-link from Rome, Australia’s most senior Catholic agreed that some people knew there had been complaints about Gerald Ridsdale in the 1970s, a former priest now serving a prison sentence for multiple child sex offences.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse heard a police investigation into Ridsdale found his alleged offending at Victorian parishes was “common knowledge” among the Catholic congregation.

…

“I didn’t know whether it was common knowledge or whether it wasn’t,” [Cardinal Pell] said. “It’s a sad story and it wasn’t of much interest to me.”

Child sex abuse survivors say they’ve ‘watched a performance’ rather than seen Cardinal George Pell give credible evidence to a royal commission: here.

Catholic clergy (including George Pell) looked the other way while Father Ridsdale continued committing more crimes against more children in more parishes: here.

George Pell: Father of abuse victims says he has given up hope Cardinal will help fix things: here.

Abuse royal commission: George Pell must have known, says Ridsdale victim: here.

George Pell exposed himself to young boys at surf club, says Victorian man. Les Tyack, who reported to police the alleged 1980s incident involving the cardinal, has gone public in the hope it will support child sex abuse survivors: here.

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