06/04/2002 "Pell 'knew' of cover-up claims as early as 1997"

Pell 'knew' of cover-up claims as early as 1997
- By Kelly Burke

Archbishop George Pell was informed of serious accusations involving his role in an alleged sex abuse cover-up five years ago, it was claimed yesterday.

Freelance journalist Clive Simmons said that he had presented Dr Pell with allegations from paedophile victim David Ridsdale that Dr Pell had tried to buy his silence in March 1997.

But at a news conference yesterday, Dr Pell said the claims made by Ridsdale that he had attempted to win his silence over the abuse he suffered at the hands of his uncle, the notorious Ballarat paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale, were inconsistent, discredited and wrong.

Gerald Ridsdale, considered one of Australia's most notorious paedophiles, was jailed for a minimum of 15 years in 1993 after pleading guilty to 46 charges involving 21 children.

Dr Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney, also said cover-up allegations had come as a complete surprise to him when they were raised during a 60 Minutes interview aired on Sunday night.

"Before today I've never heard a suggestion that he put that interpretation on it. He never said that to me," Dr Pell said in the interview.

Simmons, writing for the now defunct gay publication OutRage, sought an interview with Dr Pell to respond to David Ridsdale's allegations in early 1997. He was investigating the cases of victims of Gerald Ridsdale, who by then was into the third year of his sentence.

"I contacted Dr Pell's office in East Melbourne and made the interview request," Simmons said. "An archdiocese office employee later called back and told me Dr Pell would not consider granting an interview until after he had seen the story I was writing."

After talks with the OutRage editor, Marcus O'Donnell, it was agreed that Simmons would fax the 11-page story to Dr Pell's office.

Two days later Simmons contacted the archdiocese office and was told by an assistant of Dr Pell's that the archbishop would not be interviewed because he did not "like the tone of the piece".

"I asked him to be more specific, was he sure Pell had read the entire story including David Ridsdale's comments?"

Simmons said: "I was assured that Pell had personally read the entire document he was quite emphatic on that and that he objected to the whole story and would not be commenting further."

Mr O'Donnell said yesterday that he then examined the David Ridsdale interview transcripts and requested him to sign a statutory declaration, which he did. The story was published in April 1997. David Ridsdale's allegations that Dr Pell sought to silence him over his complaints of abuse by Gerald Ridsdale were now in the public domain.

Dr Pell's private secretary, Michael Casey, said yesterday the archbishop was uncontactable, but believed Simmons claims to be "highly unlikely".

Dr Pell yesterday admitted he had made a "mistake" in attending court with Gerald Ridsdale in 1993.

Dr Pell said at the time of the court case, he had little idea of the extent of Ridsdale's "evil".

"I did accompany him in priestly solidarity," he said yesterday. "This was a mistake as it misled people about my basic sympathies with the victims.

"My sympathy was always with the victims. When I explained to (Ridsdale's) lawyers that I would insist on saying Ridsdale had done great damage to his victims, the church and himself, the lawyer, declined to call me as a witness."

By late afternoon yesterday, Dr Pell had succeeded in persuading Channel Nine to grant him another interview on 60 Minutes. Lawyers are setting a date.

Ms Chris MacIsaac, president of Broken Rites, a church sex abuse victims support group, said many who received payouts under the process set up by Dr Pell in Melbourne were left with the impression they had to stay silent. "The deed of release has a clause saying people can take no further action," she said.

"That statement means many feel they can't talk to anybody about it."