Richard Carleton exposes cover up of paedophile priests | 60 Minutes Australia

60 minutes advises that the following story contains explicit sexual accounts and graphic language that may disturb some viewers for rental guidance as recommended it's hard to imagine a graver charge it's against one of the most powerful men in Australia the man who is now the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney now the accusation is simply this that 10 years ago dr. George Pell attempted to bribe a distressed young man who had been sexually assaulted by a priest and the doctor pill did this to cover up a potential scandal to protect his church and as you'll see there's more money offered to silence the family of two young girls other tragic victims of a predator in the Catholic Church [Music] David Ridgedale grew up in Ballarat in country Victorian he had been born into a strong Catholic family he was one of nine children his uncle Gerald Ridsdale was a priest when I grew up he was always like the shining light and the certainty for my grandmother he was the pinnacle of her Catholic achievement I guess he started to hang around more when I reached around the age of 11 he started to turn up and my mum was pregnant with my younger sister and he started to offer to assist by looking after me for weekend's or taking me away father Gerald was hanging around because he was a pedophile father Gerald began assaulting David when David was 11 and the abuse lasted till he was 15 what forms did the assaults take they were always masturbation initially was masturbation known as kissing Oh and then oral sex both and I remember the first time we were in the bush somewhere and he tried to make me perform oral sex and I remember gag I was gagging and stuff and he would get angry if I couldn't perform what he wanted and he took me for driving lessons that was the cage did you want to learn to drive let me drive a car in a paddock and sure any 11 year old will tell you that's a pretty exciting thing sick as it may sound the abuse would sometimes occur when priest was driving altar boy to the next town to say Mass both as a man as a person in your zone and what would be his demeaning at the total blank it was and was you know it was no words now anything it was an action and then it would finish and he would just drive on as if nothing had happened and then we then yes traffic cut out the car and go straighter than the church and say mess and there it's hard to imagine well it's hard to forget he was probably the most notorious pedophile he was shift from parish to parish whenever the church authorities were told of what he was up to they seem to just ignore it and send him on his merry way to another parish and not warn the parishioners David Foster is a Melbourne lawyer who has represented nearly 100 victims of sexual abuse he says Gerald Ridgedale had been abusing children for 15 years prior to latching on to David isn't someone culpable in circumstances like that someone's got to take responsibility for that sort of thing well you'd hope that someone would take responsibility but the fact is there is a complete lack of accountability for that for this the the disastrous way the church has treated victims of sexual abuse another young priest who figured in David's childhood was George Pell pail is now Archbishop in Sydney this is where you'd see pill quite a bit often yeah he would swim laps here and he was a big man and kids would come and saw that he was the man-mountain you jump on and he'd throw you off and he would have known my parents since before I was born so it was a family relationship yeah I mean didn't come round to the family or anything but you'd see him at functions I mean I'd say me in the pool I'd saw him quite a lot and I've called him George from when I was a kid I've never called him father I never have it's never father George I'd never know George to me always was he knew you David definitely and would great me by name and Pell also knew will and called Gerald David's abuser they had been to school together seminary together and as young priests they'd shared a house in the early 90s David summoned the courage to tell the now Bishop George pill what father Ridgedale had done to him he was one of the few individuals that I had trusted as a young man that I could think back on to hold the Bible I knew in the Catholic Church and here's one of the few individuals that I thought I had a good rapport with and a trust relationship and a friendship I knew he was the bishop in the area because through my work and suddenly realized that he was in a position of power within the church and I honestly thought I would find a way to deal with my own emotional problems without having to tell the world what had happened and my big fear the reason I hadn't gone earlier was actually my grandparents especially my grandmother who you know I loved a bit and I was terrified that if she found out it would kill her this is your grandmother who is any mother or father Gerald woodstove yet okay I was terrified and so eventually I chose a course of action okay now you called Bishop Hill yet out of the blue tell me why please I was getting so confused and so psychologically agitated and depressed and angry I had to deal with this issue I and I believed at the time that he was the best way for me to go look what help do you have I actually I think my terms were what internal processes did the church have to help with situations like this because I'm beside myself and I'm terrified now to the best of your memory tell me what happened please you dialed up a number and then what I dialed number ask to speak to him I said hello George cuz I thought I call him and he said you know howhow are you I said look this assault has happened to me I'm really beside myself I need some assistance some help his reaction was so totally unexpected from he didn't respond to anything I said he sort of cut me off and was using all sorts of language and quite confusing now did you tell him specifically I told it specifically I'd been assaulted by my Uncle Joe it's done very specifically okay and what did he say he took controlling of the conversation and I could sense anger I didn't and that at that point I can categorically say I don't remember everything he said because it was overwhelming it was very confusing and I started to get a sense he was insinuating things and I felt like I'd done something wrong but you'd done something yeah that I was at fault and that I was causing him grief and then all of a sudden I too stopped and went George I'm totally lost can you please tell me what you were trying to say here and his response to that was I want to know what it will take to keep me quiet there any doubts in your mind those were the specific words that he used I want to know what it would take to keep your car none at all those last two phrases no cuz it triggered news after the event how can you be so sure because of what it triggered in me it changed everything all of a sudden the priorities got into place my fear I have my grandma had to be put aside despite the fact at this day I still believe that by becoming open with it it actually did kill her she became very ill not long after it came out and was soon been ridden and died he realized the gravity of what you're saying I mean ten years after the event you're saying that the man that's now the Archbishop of Sydney effectively the head of the Catholic Church in Australia ten years ago was offering to shut you up about child sexual abuse yeah you can't make a much more grave charge than that I'm a friend yeah well you know that is definitely what happened you know that was because he that one phone conversation it's the reason that I then went to the police and so on and everything that continued with the phone conversation you then put the direct question what are you trying to say or words to that effect yeah what was the response there it was very definite I want to know what it will take to keep you quiet and you then said what you probably have to be paid but I said [ __ ] you and [ __ ] everything you stand for and I hung up had any any miniscule faith I might have had in the church and its people was exploded david says he then rang his elder sister Bernie David rang me one I think it was afternoon and was very distraught when he rang and said that he had had a made a phone call to George Pell and asked him for his advice relating to sexual abuse by my uncle but David had suffered as a child and that the outcome of the conversation was that George had asked him what it would take for it to go away to make it go away how long after the conversation between David and pill did David call you the same day David told me he also reported the conversation to a second sister Trish David told me that after he had told George about the abuse George asked him what it would take to keep him silent in fact David's words to me were the Buster tried to offer me a bribe that same day david says he rang the police I told him I wanted to press charges against my uncle did you tell them about the conversation with Pelle I can't really remember I don't I was just I was actually in tears talking to them and it was when I mentioned my uncle's name that everything changed all of a sudden unbeknownst to David at that same time Victorian police were already investigating father Gerald Ridgedale the day after David made his statement Ridgedale was charged over the sexual assault of David and a number of other boys when he appeared in court in May 1993 George Pell was by his side bridge Dale eventually did three months tell me the time frame at that stage had your conversation with Pell taken place oh yeah yeah months before so at the time he's walking into the court he was fully aware of what I'd said to him he was fully aware of what the man alongside him had done to you or any way you're okay I told him yeah absolutely fully aware not that long after these events father Ridgedale faced even more serious charges and was eventually sentenced to a minimum of 15 years stephen woods with another victim of Ridsdale and two christian brother teachers was first abused by brother best he was the principal of st. Olivia's primary school and then the next year I went to some pets college and where I was abused by brother Dolan I went to the Cathedral one day to the Presbyterian and looking for a priest to talk to after you know two years of being molested and um there's priests who answered the door said is there's a father red cell here sir I knew him for long connections ago in Miami held within short while I was being raped Bane when you say short while what do you mean well within the hour within the hour yes now the other two Christian brothers who molested you what is their connection to pill as you understand well Pell was the vicar general looking after religious education in Ballarat and as Dallin was moved to some Pat's college here straight after molesting a boy at in Melbourne pal should have known he Dan was sure if no I mean how incompetent could DF to be that's his responsibility he should have known what was going on in his school he was that he was supposed to be in charge off that's a matter of regret that the Catholic Church has taken some time to come to grips with the sexual assault issue adequately as Archbishop of Melbourne in 1996 he'll established a diocesan Commission into sexual abuse I would like to make a sincere unreserved and public apology Pels process as it was known was designed to keep cases out of court compensation payouts were capped at fifty thousand dollars it would appear to be a maximum based on protection of the church rather than protection of the victim I feel as though we've been told to take the fifty thousand dollars and shut up it sounds like it feels like the same thing these parents whom we'll call Gary and Elizabeth have asked us not to identify them or their daughters over a six-year period two of their three girls were sexually abused by their local priest father Kevin O'Donnell the abuse began in 1987 but church officials received their first complaint about O'Donnell as far back as 1958 at the time of their daughter's abuse the auxilary bishop was George Pell duty to know his name he was a very senior part of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church he was the bishop for the area in which we reside he should have known the two girls are each five years old when the abuse started in the years since the oldest has attempted suicide several times the very night before our interview with her parents she attempted an overdose her sister according to the parents started drinking to numb the pain wandered in front of a car and is now confined to a wheelchair is there any doubt in your mind that there's a direct connection between the abuse your daughter's suffered and their present state it's a direct connection Gary and Elizabeth applied for compensation through the commission established by Pell for the eldest daughter they were offered $50,000 in this letter from George Pels lawyers they were told the compensation offered provided a realistic alternative to litigation that will otherwise be strenuously defended $50,000 for a destroyed daughter's life was that reason I don't believe so their position was that no matter what had been done to your daughter $50,000 was the ceiling that's right even if she'd been abused by ten priests have you signed on the bottom line no daughter hasn't hmm father Kevin O'Donnell died in 1997 shortly after being released from jail in February of that year archbishop Pell traveled to the Melbourne parish where O'Donnell had abused children for 17 years Pell granted Gary and Elizabeth and audience we'd gone into that meeting I think hoping to get some answers as to how the church felt about health and felt about it and really looking for an expression of great sorrow and an open arms of what can we do to help you instead we were confronted with a a legalistic approach from someone just been trying to manage the problem trying to maybe dispose of us in a short 15 minute meeting and that would be it we came away from the meeting after discussions with you feeling empty and angry we had there was nothing came out of that meeting that made us feel as though the church or the hierarchy was really helping us or other people to come to terms with what had happened and to get through that that whole process of recovery it was a just an awful feeling okay me feeling worse than Union yeah we showed hell a photo of him presenting our daughter with a confident conformation certificate confirmation his response was that's a very nice photo very that's lovely as if to say that's here how we want the children coming out of the church we then showed him a photo of our daughter just after she had cut her wrists with what come here and his only comment with absolutely no change in in attitude and facial expression was how she's changed hasn't she and there was just that was it that was it I was nearly crying my wife is really crying he stepped in with a stony face oh she's changed and she's certainly changed there's no doubt he was right and she'd change because of the actions of priests years before the actions of a priest who whose actions had been known previously in other parishes and had been moved on [Music] people are too afraid they don't have the courage and I want to see people have courage some paper like George Pell are in the position to change her and you know he did what he did to me was wrong simple as that he reacted like someone who was in damage control and already I don't know what was going on before I rang but he was in damage control that minute I ran he knows and I would sit and look him in the eye right now and he and say I dare you to lie to my face I dare you so why should we believe you George Pell knows the toys George Pell in a moment as you've just heard tonight a grave allegation against the Archbishop of Sydney dr. George Pell it was alleged the doctor Pell sought to buy the silence of a distressed young man who had been sexually assaulted by a priest he now is dr. pills response that we should how widespread if at all would you consider sexual abuse by Catholic clergy to be here in Australia now I think we have brought to light most of it for the last five or six years we've had a system of protocols in place which I believe is substantially working there's much too much of it I've apologized and I repeat my apology to the to the victims but we're dealing with it you seem to be conceding though that it is still going on well human nature doesn't change I hope that there's not too much of it going on so as you can see that some is probably going on I don't really know anything that's brought to my attention I will see that it's dealt with according to the protocols you shouldn't be any they shouldn't be any certainly if it was going on now would you necessarily know about it not necessarily now now is it homosexual sex or heterosexual sex amongst the clergy that's the bigger problem most pedophilia involves young girls with the Catholic clergy more of it involves younger men after puberty can you put a number I mean out of the air on the number of Catholic clergy who are being convicted of these sort of crimes say over the last 10 years no I can't I can give you melbourne figures though during my time in Melbourne we paid compensation to 100 victims and 15 or 20 priests were stood down do you know this broken rights group I do have put out a list here of 99 convictions not all priests are brothers you know Catholic employees use a broad sweep at ninety nine in ten years it's about one a month that's probably right it's a sad and terrible thing it's probably right I'm not sure but it's probably of that order still today one a month no certainly not I don't think I think I'm hoping for the worst is behind us now when you were the specific Episcopal vicars for education in Ballarat that's effectively the boss of the Catholic teachers a titular titular their bishops representative in the area well buck stops with you no not really the back stops would I have the bishop or the director of education i chaired the education board very much a part-time job so I was involved certainly you I want to know how much responsibility you take personally for those teachers under you in those 10 years that you were there who abused their charges I I wouldn't take any direct responsibility at all because I was not aware of any accusations that I I didn't deal with no it wasn't your job to know what was going on well no because I wasn't the executive running education that's bishop isn't the ducking the responsibility no it's a description of what in fact have but what should have happened was really what I'm trying to get to well what should have happened is another problem I I don't apologize for any of the I do apologize I don't want to pretend that those things were always handled well but it wasn't my bag I was responsible from one area of church life and I fulfilled my responsibilities I didn't in the areas where I didn't have responsibilities I I wasn't obliged to wait tell me you know father Gerald redstone I certainly do it's good at school he was years years ahead of me same school but we were at the same school I knew him as a seminarian knew of him as a seminarian knew him as a priest and for 12 months only I was in the same houses if you shared a house with him with there were four priests there so you got to know him pretty well in that time moderately now I presume you didn't know at that time that he was a heinous pedophile had no idea at all never entered my head how could you not know after going to school him going to seminary with him growing up nobody living with him nobody around the endian knew that nobody even hinted it to me had no idea he survived in that role for years and years he is a clever fella and he did some dreadful evil things and how could you not know I certainly didn't and I and none of the priests around me knew either did you know David Ridsdale father Gerald riddles nephew yes I know I know they're the the Ridgedale yes did David Ridsdale tell you that his uncle Gerald father Gerald had been abusing him never never never at any stage so he says he did well that's completely false didn't didn't happen he says that in January 93 he rang you and told you oh well that's 93 I thought you were talking about back in the 70s I read stuff would have been in jail by then I think he went to jail in 93 yeah yeah I certainly I've spoken with David off and on over the years I've got on fairly well with him right David says if he called you in January 1930 and told you about it well that's but that's probably true but I was well aware of of rigsdale's crimes in general by 93 and when he rang you in January 90 you offered him a bribe to shut up I've certainly had nothing of the sort could I play you the tape sir of his accusations yeah sure please then all of a sudden I just stopped and went George I'm totally lost can you please tell me what you were trying to say here and his response to that was I want to know what it will take to keep me quiet there any doubts in your mind those were the specific words he used I want to know what it would take to keep me none at all and you then said what Ida put me at the baby but I said [ __ ] you and [ __ ] everything you stand for no yeah up those words there're terrible did you use those words I want to know what it would take to keep you quiet now I didn't I've got a recollection that I spoke to David a number of times that he found me a number of times on this on this incident I think by that stage Ridgedale was in jail no he wasn't in jail in 93 no he was in jail later in 93 we can date this you see because you have the police statement yes the David Ridge cell gave which is purportedly on the same day that he spoke to you on the phone well I can't ever remember him swearing at me I have I leave aside the square roots of them the really important words you said so it is alleged I want to know what it would take to keep you quiet no I certainly would never have said that and I didn't say that I could quite imagine saying to him what sort of help might we be able to offer him in terms of I mean I'm enormous ly sympathetic into his plight and in 93 is an exhilaration in Melbourne I had no capacity to offer him anything anywhere mm-hmm and I certainly now I quite quite prepared to concede that I would have been rattled that I was distressed I great sympathy towards him and and his family and what happened to him was dreadful but his his recollection as some of the things he said is totally wrong but very serious if if you had said that yeah I certainly wouldn't the resigning matter i I don't know about resign it would certainly be serious in the ground a grave error okay I've likely to play you now a tape of David reeds Dale's two sisters who have been interviewed for this David told me that after he had told George about the abuse George asked him what it would take to keep him silent in fact David's words to me were the Buster tried to offer me a bribe having heard the sister so do you have anything you'd like do it they were misinformed but I mean it's a it's a very it's a very distressing sort of situation well for David and both for myself that at the time years I have a recollection that he spoke to me more than once and I think I found subsequently at least once to his house and spoke to his spoke to his wife to see how things were going I spoke with him a number of times and I deeply regret that he misunderstood things in these ways and before today I never heard a suggestion that he put that interpretation on it he'd never said that to me do you know of the family in in Victoria Melbourne two daughters I've met once with the parents their daughters were abused by father Kevin O'Donnell from 87 to 92 and the families of the opinion that if you had done your job their daughters would not have been abused or that's a completely mistaken would you like to see what they've said yes please we showed tell a photo of him presenting our daughter with a conference up the confirmation certificate confirmation his response was that's a very nice photo we then showed him a photo of our daughter just after she had cut her wrists with what come here and his only comment with absolutely no change in in attitude facial expression was how she's changed hasn't another very happy family are they Archbishop no no they've they've suffered a lot here those photos he was talking about yeah which is the that's the one I think of you confirming the list yes and the other one is later I I've never seen a photo with a / treasonous slash wrists mother and father so they gave it to you well I don't believe I've seen I got no recollection of that I mean it's an awful no I don't believe I ever saw that and you offered him $50,000 I offered them nothing they they were free to go into a into a process which is run by an independent panel that liver you that's from the lawyers after they've been through the process which they were present it's from the lawyers cause chambers Westgarth match here mr. and mrs. I won't mention the family name as you know we act for Archbishop pel yeah you offered them 50 grand to be quiet I hire for the 50 grand in compensation according to publish a publicly acknowledged procedures and to be quiet that they chose not to accept them we the words have if words have meaning so that you bought their silence or you sought to buy their silence a realistic alternative to litigation that would otherwise be strenuously defended that's if yes if they want to go to the law we will use the law to defend ourselves and you swear them to secrecy well we ask them to keep us women did ask them you swear them there is a requirement that they don't talk about it and most of them are happy not to and if they don't want to use that they can do something they can go to the courts yes why do you impose his conditions because many of them don't want to be subjected to publicity and of course it's shameful for the church a special thank you thank you 60 minutes advises that the following story contains explicit sexual accounts that may disturb some viewers parental guidance as recommended there's no way you could have missed the reaction to last week's story on pedophilia in the Catholic Church last week we broadcast the allegation that Archbishop Pell offered a bribe to keep quiet an episode of child sexual abuse well the archbishop denied that allegation tonight you'll hear from a man who was a priest for 24 years and says it beggars belief that Archbishop Pell was unaware of the child sexual abuse occurring within his church and tonight we accuse the church of paying hush money this time to a victim repeatedly raped by a Christian brother just last year the victim was paid fifty thousand dollars to shut up about the crime [Music] Jeff Fitzpatrick has had a troubled life a rebellious child with alcoholic parents he was made a ward of the state and sent to a Catholic orphanage when he was 11 those years changed him forever I was there from 69 to 71 okay in that time how frequently were you sexually abused I was sexually abused raped 14 times I was physically abused on more than 30 or 40 occasions who performed the rapes upon you rather William used to how long had you been at the orphanage when the first time brother Houston raped you three days how many days three did you try to tell anybody about those rapes and what happened yes I did and I was told I was a lawyer I was told I was a troublemaker and I was made to put my hand on his desk with me hands spread out like that palms down and I was given ten buildings of the strip it wasn't until 1996 that Jeff finally came forward and reported the abuse to the police the brother was charged but the charges were later dropped notwithstanding the charges not going ahead what happened in April last year just 14 months ago my lawyers from from Maury Alec got in touch with the towards healings program and arranged a mediation between the church and myself and the result of that at radiation they offered me $50,000 to sign a document to not go ahead with it not say anything more about this what happened to me as a child did they walk in and say here's $50,000 or what not straight off now they offered me 20,000 and I laughed at him literally you've got a copy of the agreement there would you read Clause G to me please the church do not admit any wrongdoing has been committed so they didn't admit but they paid you $50,000 have you got the fifty-first yes it's been paid to you yes now I will read to you clause Cade it is a condition of the settlement that has a condition of the payment the church required Geoff to swear that he would not make any comment or any communication of any type to any person in relation to these matters that he would not publish any writing relating to any incident and that he would not make any comment in relation to any matters or any relevant incidents that is they gagged him so you realize you're breaking after that agreement by talking to me now well I'll give the church 40 cents and they can ring somebody who cares clearly I don't care I mean clearly the I just want to show what cover-up the church are doing I mean it's not only myself that's suffering many victims like Geoff have come forward since last Sunday when allegations were made on this program against Sidney Archbishop George Pell but did you tell him specifically I taught it specifically I'd been assaulted by my uncle tell red star very specifically last week David Ridgedale alleged that in February 1993 he went to pail then a Melbourne Bishop to tell him of the abuse he had suffered at the hands of his uncle father Gerald Ridsdale I said look this assault has happened to me I'm really beside myself I need some assistance some help and his response to that was I want to know what it will take to keep me quiet there any doubts in your mind those were the specific words that he used I want to know what it would take to keep your Chi none at all those last two phrases no cuz it treating news after the event how can you be so sure because of what it triggered in me it changed everything we can date this you see Archbishop repeal all denied these allegations now I quite quite prepared to concede that I would have been rattled that I was distressed I great sympathy towards him and his family and what happened to him was dreadful but his his recollection as some of the things he says totally wrong in this statutory declaration dr. pail claimed it was implausible that he would try to silence David because at the time I received the call from David allegations of misconduct against Gerald Ridgedale were already in the public domain but that is not how the investigating police remember it so when did this matter come into the public domain from your knowledge well my interpretation of the two words public domain would suggest that that it would have been in the media and first time that it was in the media was on the 5th of February 1993 correct the day the day after gerald rich day was first interviewed and charged by the place and after the time but David Ridsdale claims he Pell said to him what will it take to keep the quote correct race tiger and Lisa Mackenzie are the police officers who hid the first investigation into father Gerald Ritter during their investigation they sought the cooperation of the Catholic Church and it was not always forthcoming such as on the day they had an appointment with the Bishop of Ballarat the man responsible for moving Ridgedale from parish to parish our understanding was when we drive from Melbourne to Ballarat was that we were to have a meeting with Bishop Mull turns how do you know why he didn't show up now the bishop knew you were making inquiries about Gerald midst oh yes he was actually there but that he he wasn't able to see us what are you too busy what they received that day was a typed at list of the parishes Ridgedale had been moved to and from now this is a list of where Gerald Ridsdale was appointed yes apart from that were they otherwise cooperative or not our Father made to father May if he was the gentleman that we saw and he answered the questions that we ask but certainly additional they call they probably cooperated to the extent that they had to go that's pretty damning isn't it well certainly with other investigations that we were conducting at the time there were other organizations that were somewhat more cooperative in February 93 Lisa Mackenzie and race Tiger charged Gerald Ridsdale with indecently assaulting 11 boys he got three months later he was jailed for 15 years for other abuses dating back to 1961 when Ridsdale was moved from Ballarat north to Mordor and then from Mildura to Swan Hills one Hilda Warner bill better at ease Apollo back had anyone give you the reason why he was being moved from place to place No did you ask yes and what did they say we inquired when we had that meeting but there wasn't really any explanation given as such we were given the list and and basically not a lot of other additional information from your inquiries he offended that most of these places here it certainly it unfolded that way yes so you were certainly of the impression that he was moved on because the Catholic Church knew he was offended that certainly was the opinion that we were getting that he only stayed like a short time in each town in your experience the church would move the offender sideways as one approach and another approach may I suggest was to cover it up I think that's a very fair analysis certainly it was transfer was what happened and cover-up I used the word the data strategy of denial and rejection for 24 years Phil O'Donnell was a Roman Catholic priest in Victoria his is an insider's view of the church's inaction when faced with evidence of pedophiles within their ranks it is horrifying to think of the number of young boys and girls who have been subsequently abused because the strategy of the church was to deny the reality it was to turn against the victim was to blame the victim it was to make those supporting Leedom uncomfortable O'Donnell first alerted the church hierarchy about a particular abusing priest back in 1978 I thought I had done the right thing by alerting the authorities because in my naivety or innocence I would have thought by alerting the authorities that action would happen so what happened he would move sideways and that was his punishment he got a different parish okay and went on doing the same thing presumably convicted later why didn't you do something about it then I kept doing things I've got on record numerous numerous instances where I went to the proper authorities wrote to them spoke with them and kept alerting to the effect of how do they allow a priest with a known problem of sexually abusing his children stay in active ministry it's not just one bishop who might not have handled something well I I have to say I think it was collective responsibility which I say I'm part of the problem quite clearly I should have done should have gone to the place there's no doubt about that but there's some you should have gone to the police but you went to the bishop yeah exactly but but there is there was a collective responsibility I think at this stage where the strategy just seemed to be just put it off and see if it goes away and of course it just got put off and put off and more kids got abused and when it got to about the early to mid 90s and the media exposure was horrific no longer could the issue be covered up and then I believe lots of very good things have happened and I just think now if someone was abusing a kid in a position of trust as a priest is they wouldn't be doing it for long it's a matter of regret that the Catholic Church has taken some time to come to grips with the sexual assault issue adequately in 1996 George Pell then Archbishop of Melbourne established a panel to deal with sex abuse cases the panel caps payouts at $50,000 it would appear to be a maximum based on protection of the church rather than protection for the victim Gary and Elizabeth's two daughters were sexually abused by their local priests they applied for compensation and have been offered $50,000 on account of their first daughter they consider this money was offered to buy their silence Pels lawyers say the offer is a realistic alternative to litigation that will otherwise be strenuously defendant $50,000 for a destroyed daughter's life was it reasonable I don't believe so I feel as though we've been told to take the $50,000 and shut up when victims still come forward today the church is still applying the strategy of running them through the courts but yet as difficult as possible yeah when they try and in a sense take on the church an individual's financial and legal resources compared to the might of the Catholic Church finance and legal and our experience has been that so many victims have tried to run the litigation the civil matters and have just been worn down under the weight of financial legal might of the opposing part of David Goliath there's some and that's where again there's so much hurt with these people at the time Gary and Elizabeth's daughters were being abused the auxilary bishop was George Pell he was a very senior part of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church he was the bishop for the area in which we reside he should have known what's your opinion as to whether the likes of Archbishop pearl would have known this sort of thing was going on I think anyone in authority would have known it was going on anyone who was a bishop in the Catholic Church through the 70s and 80s and 90s had to be aware of the volume of victims who were coming forward telling their stories it beggars believed that any body in a position of authority through the 70s 80s and 90s was not aware of this as a very major crisis in a Catholic Church the family of some of the victims has said to me that if the likes of pill had done his job then their daughters would not have been abused if Pell and let's name how many others do you want to know two days ago I took Jeff Fitzpatrick to the Christian Brothers establishment where the Christian brother he alleges had repeatedly raped him still serves Jeff wanted me to ask the brother for an apology brother hissed and how do you do Richard Karpeles my name from 60 minutes of television sir because you told me do you feel you have an apology to offer to it 962 I remember I do brother thank you please lay the premises what do you want from the church now I want them to admit their fault I want them to weed out the perpetrators that did these things to me I want them to weed out the ones that are doing it to other victims as we speak god only knows how many kids have been violated how many kids have been abused but in fairness to victims I think it's time that people on the inside say it says their stories are true they should be listened to they should be believed they shouldn't have to fight and continuously fight to prove that these cases going over such a long period of time are true dr. pearl declined an invitation to reappear on the program tonight Christian Brothers leader brother Peter darling also declined to be interviewed hello I'm Liz Hayes thanks for watching to keep up with the latest from 60 minutes Australia make sure you subscribe to our Channel you can also download the 9 now app for full episodes and other exclusives 60 minutes content

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Views: 576,647

Rating: 4.7076182 out of 5

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Charles Wooley, Tara Brown, Liam Bartlett, Allison Langdon, Tom Steinfort, Ellen Fanning, Peter Overton, Karl Stefanovic, Ray Martin, Peter Stefanovic, Jana Wendt, Jeff McMullen, Jennifer Byrne, Mike Munro, Richard Carleton, Tracey Curro, Paul Barry, Peter Harvey, Michael Usher, Ross Coulthart, George Negus, Ian Leslie, Gerald Stone, Sarah Abo, Cardinal George Pell, catholic church, royal commission

Id: V4_hoy_fJWc

Length: 51min 12sec (3072 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 25 2019