Australian Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, yesterday summoned his lawyers after one of Pope Francis’ special commissioners for the protection of children accused him of being “almost sociopathic” and said his position was untenable.
Formerly the top Catholic cleric in Australia, Pell is embroiled in a child abuse inquiry which last week heard evidence from pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale, who abused at least 50 boys over two decades.
Pell, who accompanied Ridsdale to court in 1993 when Ridsdale admitted widespread abuse, has repeatedly denied knowing about any of the offenses, helping move the priest to another parish or claims that he tried to bribe a victim to keep him quiet.
Ridsdale’s victim was his nephew, David Ridsdale, who said he confided in Pell about the assaults and that Pell asked him what it would cost to buy his silence.
Other victims have demanded that Pell, who was appointed by Pope Francis in February last year to make the Vatican’s finances more transparent, return to give evidence in person to Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
The cardinal last week said he was willing to do so.
Peter Saunders, chosen by the pope six months ago to be one of the church’s commissioners for the protection of children, said Pell not only had a moral obligation to return, but should be removed from his Vatican role.
He said in an interview with Australia’s Channel Nine on Sunday that Pell had acted with “callousness, cold-heartedness, almost sociopathic I would go as far as to say, this lack of care,” in his approach toward abuse victims.
A statement issued by Pell’s office said the allegations were “false and misleading.”
“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,” it said. “Cardinal Pell has never met Mr Saunders, who seems to have formed his strong opinions without ever having spoken to his eminence [the pope].”
The statement added that “in the circumstances, the cardinal is left no alternative, but to consult with his legal advisers.”
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