Abuse survivors from Ballarat are outraged that Cardinal George Pell will appear before a royal commission in Melbourne, not in their city.
Cardinal Pell had been due to give evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse at the second stage of the Ballarat hearings in November.
However, last week the commission said the hearings would be held in Melbourne’s county court, citing logistical issues and a high level of public interest.
Abuse survivor Stephen Woods said he and many Ballarat victims are deeply upset by the decision.
They feel Cardinal Pell should front up in their community – his home town – and should apologise for the wrongdoing, including Church cover-ups.
Mr Woods said he believed the hearings had been moved because of concerns for Cardinal Pell’s safety.
But Victorian police said the decision was entirely made by the royal commission and police advice was neither sought nor given.
The Ballarat and District Survivors Group said it was not consulted on the decision and called for the hearings to be held in their city.
Spokesman Andrew Collins said it was an important part of the community’s healing process.
“The next step is to try and get the hearings moved to Ballarat or at least the bulk of the hearings here, otherwise it just won’t have the same impact,” he said.
At hearings in May in Ballarat, an allegation of attempted bribery was made against Cardinal Pell.
It was also alleged that he played a role in the moving of a paedophile priest from parish to parish.
Cardinal Pell later confirmed to the royal commission he would fly from Italy to Australia to attend the November Ballarat hearings.
The cardinal, who is prefect of the Vatican’s secretariat for the economy, said he was horrified by the allegations against him.
In May, he denied these allegations and said he is committed to completely co-operate with the royal commission.
Cardinal Pell served as a young priest in Ballarat, before he was a made an auxiliary bishop of Melbourne in 1987.
Sources