adminSydney — Australia’s top Catholic cleric George Pell apologised to a child sexual abuse victim yesterday, saying the church’s defence of a case he brought could be seen as morally wrong, even if it was legally correct. Cardinal Pell, recently appointed by Pope Francis to head a new Vatican finance ministry, was giving evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Australia.
Wrapping up his testimony, he apologised to former altar boy John Ellis, who was abused by a priest from the age of 13.
Ellis sued the church seeking compensation from the Archdiocese of Sydney, at the time headed by Pell, but lost his case.
Pell said it was legally proper to defend the case, even though he did not deny that Ellis, now an adult, suffered at the hands of paedophile priest Aidan Duggan, who is now deceased.
“I never at any stage contemplated doing anything improper and I don’t believe that our lawyers ever suggested anything that was legally improper,” Pell said.
He conceded, however, that taking such a hard-line stance against an abuse victim could be seen as a moral failure and apologised to Ellis. — AFP
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