Cardinal Pell knew a pedophile priest had been moved decades ago, because the priest had sexually abused children, and should have removed an unstable priest in another parish who was also a suspected pedophile, an Australian inquiry concludes.
His lawyers have urged a judge not to increase Ridsdale's non-parole period when he is sentenced on the latest convictions next week.
The inquiry rejected Pell's evidence that Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns had not explained that Ridsdale had been removed from the Mortlake parish in 1982 because he had sexually abused children there. Pell was one the bishop's priest advisers at the time, known as consultors, who regularly met to discuss diocese matters.
Pell said in his statement that none of his fellow consultors told the inquiry that they had been aware of Ridsdale's offending in 1982.The inquiry also found that Pell had"turned his mind to the prudence" of Ridsdale taking boys camping in 1973, because"if priests were one-on-one with a child, then they could sexually abuse a child, or at least provoke gossip about such a prospect.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
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