She asked Cardinal Pell if he would be prepared to issue the same strong statement.

“Will you publicly denounce both the former Archbishop of Melbourne Frank Little and the former Bishop of Ballarat Ronald Mulkearns for harbouring paedophiles, knowing they were abusing children?”

Ms Coote asked.

Cardinal Pell said the situation in Ireland was not the same as Australia.

“The gravity of dereliction there is not the same as here,”

Cardinal Pell said.

However, he said he would take Ms Coote’s question on notice but also stated he did not understand some of Bishop Mulkearns’ actions, including destroying documentation about child sex abuse cases and moving paedophile priests around parishes.

He said he believed the actions of both Archbishop Little and Bishop Mulkearns were aimed at protecting the church from scandal.

Cardinal Pell said it was a mistake to accompany disgraced paedophile Gerald Ridsdale to Melbourne Magistrates Court 20 years ago to face 30 child abuse charges.

“Twenty years ago I knew there were a significant number of offences but I didn’t know the details of the offences,”

he said.

He said Ridsdale’s lawyer asked if he would walk to court with him and he said yes. 

Cardinal Pell also said he was not a close friend of Ridsdale.

abject lack to duty of care IMO