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THE LEADING FIGURE in Australia’s Catholic Church has admitted that a fear of scandal and a greater concern for reputation led to a systemic and massive cover-up of abuse within the organisation.
Facing a formal inquiry by Victoria’s parliament, Cardinal George Pell said he was “fully apologetic and absolutely sorry” for how the Church dealt with abusers and victims. He said that there was awareness of the problem as early as 1988.
“There’s no doubt about it that lives have been blighted,” he said.
When asked if “the fear of the scandal led to the cover up”, he answered simply: “Yes, it did.” And the follow-up question: “Do you agree that the systemic cover-up allowed paedophile priests to prey on innocent children?”
Yes, you have to say there is significant truth in that.
However, the cardinal noted that “the incidence of misbehaving, crimes has significantly reduced”. He also confirmed that every document and file that the Vatican has on alleged child sexual abuse in Australia will be made available to the Royal Commission inquiry.
Pell denied playing any personal role in the cover up, stating he was “unaware” about the culture of abuse.
I think the bigger fault was that nobody would talk about it, nobody would mention it. I was certainly unaware of it. I don’t think many, if any, persons in the leadership of the Catholic Church knew what a horrendous widespread mess we were sitting on.
On his colleagues, the cardinal noted that former Melbourne archbishop Sir Frank Little did cover up abuses but added, “He inherited a situation where there were no protocols and no procedures, and for some strange reason he never spoke to anybody about it.” He also recently discovered that former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns destroyed documents.
Widespread abuse
The parliamentary committee has already heard that about 620 children were criminally abused by clergy from 1930s on.
Victims including children as young as seven or eight who were raped by priests, have told of their experiences at the hearing, which comes ahead of a national royal commission into institutional responses to child sex abuse.
Asked to explain the incidence of abuse, Pell said he could not but that celibacy and access to children were possible factors.
The entry procedures… the investigation of candidates back say in the middle of last century was much too loose.
He was also questioned and criticised for the maximum pay-out of AUS$75,000 paid to survivors.
Pell agreed this was not as much as paid in the United States but said it compared well with other countries.
“We are always ready to pay whatever the law of the land says about compensation,” he said. “Many of the victims aren’t particularly interested in money. The more important thing is due process, justice and help with getting on with their lives.”
According to broadcaster ABC, a number of victims were in the gallery and heckled the cardinal at certain stages throughout the procedure.
-Additional reporting by AFP
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By who?? People who live there??
@Stephen o toole: Nope. Unless you count watching the drug dealing on the canal a “cool” living environment
How many neighbourhoods did they visit? I lived in the kip for 2 years and, of all the places I have lived in around the world, it’s the only place I had my car robbed.
Hahaha hahaha hahaha ok
Phibsboro is grim
Great spot. Remember the days of McGowans, Eddie Rockets & a ride if you were lucky
@Caddyshack: ya mean McGowans if ya were lucky.. “But, but, I know finbar…”
@Togs: Finbar was the man
@Togs: mcgowans bouncers were the worst closely followed by the quays. Brain dead clo wns
@Caddyshack: Or Unlucky
@Togs: I went broke many times over chasing young yans in that place.
Full of blow-ins….zero sense of community….definitely not hip.
Pick major cities around the world and pick an area in each to get free publicity from local media.
@Lad: Seems that way. Sham Shui Po is IMO not as enjoyable as Wan Chai in Hong Kong, and last year District 3 in Saigon was on the list but this year its Binh Thanh, as if much changed in the year there. Gonguan is pretty great though in Taipei, but it does seem like random suburbs and areas were thrown into overall interesting cities. Stoneybatter was last years choice!
Must be a vote amongst all the alcos in the basin park
@Garreth mc mahon: the Basin is in Broadstone not Phibsborough
So cool it even has the biggest prison in the country.
Ha ha who wrote this, give it a rest lol
Lived there in 2004 for a while and enjoyed life there, was great living so close to the city centre. Though going by that file photo the shopping centre certainly looks different
I am still laughing. Just look around and you will see all that PB has to offer. Very little!
The world must truly be fu&#ed if Phibsborough made that list.
An open air methadone clinic sandwiched between homeless shelters, a brutalist commie spacecraft and a prison. Ooooh gimme some. Also, that’s the bridge entering Drumcondra, not Phizzbomb.
@Padro Touche: Do you do parties?
@Padro Touche: You might make a few quid with that auld writing Padro….
Phibsboro is grim af
Bonnyconlon came in a close 28th.
Really!!!
This is a piss take
I remember staying in the SunnyBank hotel many moons ago. The session lasted 3 days, the place never slept. Really enjoyed the area to be honest.
To many crack heads and alcoholics for me
Binh Thanh in Ho Chi Minh City is also on that list, and having lived there I can safely say I would take it anyday over Phibsboro. Nice heat, cheap prices, great rooftop bars, tasty and authentic food, and featuring the tallest building in Southeast Asia in Landmark 81. All while taking it through the streets on your own motorbike. And lest we forget, its in one of the safest countries in the world from Covid, a distant memory to those who live there, my good friends included.
I regret coming back to Ireland, arguing with people on the virus when I could be there instead….arguing with Irish people to actually try and work together.
@Paul Cunningham: there are 40 neighbourhoods made the list.
Very, very, very happy memories – but from 40 years ago!
On another note, this story was in the Times this morning and all over the radio all day yet was only published in The Journal at 6pm. Must be a skeleton crew working in there now. Might not be long before the Journal goes to the wall.
I live here and and it aint bad. I love the prison on my doorstop. Ton of courts around Smithfield and ju…nkies crawling the streets. Hip town.
Huh? How? Every time I pass through I can’t wait to get out quick enough.
Only true if the fields at the back of Darndale are an area of outstanding natural beauty.
The tragically hip clientele of the Bernard Shaw will be loving this. Not there a year and they’ve put the locale on the map. Bunch of deluded spoofers.
@Niall Byrne: nothing hop about the clientele in the BS
Pulled many a fine mot in abrekebra after mcgowans
@Garykelly: of course you did classy.
Look at all the uncool kids trying to knock phibsborough. Poor souls.
Photo is not Phibsboro.
@Shane Reilly:
It is 100%
@Shane Reilly: Yes….it….is.
@Marcus: no it’s not. its taken from the bridge between Dorset Street and drumcondra road.
When? In the 70′s?
@Adam J: yes. 1870 maybe. Before it was a total kip.
Hmmm throw in an ultra hipstery café where your brew costs the guts of a fiver and a kip becomes ‘cool’. Thanks to gentrification, some people can clearly easily overlook the major addiction problem, widespread homelessness, gangs of aggressive teenagers, endless traffic, litter, and a general feeling of abandonment in Phibsborough. Cool.
For transient hipsters? A mediocre soccer team trying to remarket itself as the Irish St Pauli? Stayed in it for a while way back in the day, grand overall but this is just silly marketing schtick.
@Valthebear: “A mediocre soccer team”
A good football team you mean, second in the league ahead of a team with American investors. We are Bohs.
@Marcus: come on the Bohs:)
That photo is of the canal not the shopping centre
Yeah Right ! Liarsborough.
Adrian, you definitely have something to do with this
Spot the Dub ….full of redneck’s
Kip
Oh God seriously?
have your say