Royal Commission into sexual abuse ... Cardinal Pell accused of bribery

[bright.ton42]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-20/cardinal-george-pell-tried-to-bribe-paedophile-victim-inquiry/...

"I remember with clarity the last three lines we spoke together.

"Me: Excuse me, George, what the **bleep** are you talking about?

"George: I want to know what it will take to keep you quiet.

"Me: **bleep** you, George, and everything you stand for."

Of course Pell denies this... and I'm wondering how they will get to the truth of it.

If it is true then it is appalling.

[***super_nova***]

Back in that time it would have been very embarrassing to admit to have been raped, especially homosexual rape.  Many rapes went unreported,, and rape accusation against people held in such high esteem as priests would have been very difficult.  But some people did report it, and it was reported in local paper.  And people in the church were being told and they did nothing, or the priests were shipped to another, far away, parish.  Pell and others knew, but the only thing that seem to matter to them was to protect the church. 

[jean2579]

When I left the institution I was in, it was not Catholic but another religious one, I tried to report it to several doctors, I was told that if I persisted I would find myself in goal and to forget it and just get on with life. This was the 50's and I was 15. So I tried to do that. A few months ago I made a comment on Facebook and made the mistake of mentioning the organisation, within 3 days I had a thinly veiled letter saying that they had read the post. So I will not name them again, after nearly 60 years they can still reach me. I gave evidence before the commission in a private hearing, best thing ever did. They own you for your entire life, you can never escape them. Despite all of the well meaning words and best wishes you are never free, your nightmares never go. 

[raptor_rebooted]

KIM LANDERS: Hard, honest and occasionally emotional, that's how cardinal George Pell has described his meeting with a dozen survivors of child sexual abuse in Rome.

Cardinal Pell's encounters with the survivors, many of whom are from his home town of Ballarat, comes a day after he wrapped up giving evidence to the royal commission into child sexual abuse.

Under fire for his handling of sexual abuse of children by priests in Ballarat and Melbourne, cardinal Pell has now vowed to work with survivors to enact better protection measures.

Europe correspondent Lisa Millar has been in Rome and spoke to me earlier.

Lisa, what did cardinal Pell say after that meeting?

LISA MILLAR: Interestingly he came out to speak to the media because the group from Ballarat had requested it. It was part of the negotiations that went on and to make this meeting happen in the first place. Many people thought that it wouldn't.

So he came out with this piece of hotel note paper that he had written down the lines that he wanted to say to the media. He didn't take any questions.

But after two hours, way longer than what anyone had expected because they had put aside half an hour for the meeting, this is what he had to say.

GEORGE PELL: One suicide is too many, too many, and there have been many such tragic suicides. I commit myself to working with the group to strive to stop this so that suicide is not seen as an option for those who are suffering.

DAVID RIDSDALE: It was definitely, there was emotion on both sides I would have to say. Absolutely. There was definitely emotion on both sides.

REPORTER: George Pell?

DAVID RIDSDALE: There was emotion on both sides from our perspective. So, you know, it was a good meeting behind closed doors definitely.

REPORTER 2: How did the cardinal express his emotion?

DAVID RIDSDALE: It was a good meeting behind closed doors.

After the meeting, this papal commission on child abuse, that went extremely well and a few of us will return to continue some of the work that we started there this morning.

We intend to build bridges that will help us develop a healing process in Ballarat. You know, we generally want to create a healing process.

We don't want Ballarat to be known as the paedophile centre of Australia. We want it to be known as the healing centre for child abuse in Australia.

KIM LANDERS: And that is child abuse survivor David Ridsdale speaking after a meeting with cardinal Pell.

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2016/s4418563.htm

[tommy.irene]

A priest, originally from County Tyrone and now based in the United States, claims he has been “frozen out” of the Catholic Church after calling the police to investigate a fellow clergyman who had shown child-porn images to 14-year-old parishioner. Fr John A Gallagher (48), from Strabane, Co Tyrone, is now living in a holiday home belonging to one of his friends and parishioners. He says the locks on his parochial house were changed and he was placed on medical leave by his bishop in the Diocese of Palm Beach, FL. Gallagher says he was told by the Catholic Church to put a pedophile priest on a plane back to India rather than cooperate with the police. Gallagher has been living in the United States since 2000. Prior to this he served in the Long Tower parish in Derry. He is well-known in the Catholic community in the US and has made several religious music records and TV appearances. In 2012 he received a personal note from Pope Benedict XVI thanking him for his work, but Gallagher said this was little comfort as he felt “the wrath" of the Church in the past year.     http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Irish-Catholic-priest-frozen-out-Florida-Church-informing-pedofile-...

[***super_nova***]

What an amazing twist to the saga when Bolt came out critical of Pell for saying that the reports of child abuse in church had no interest for him.  And then, after his boss no doubt got in touch, he tried to wriggle out of it claiming temporarily insanity.  LOL