Rumours that Cardinal George Pell may lead the apostolic visitation to the Church in Ireland are completely unfounded and speculative, said the Archdiocese of Sydney. The archdiocese also defended Cardinal Pell's record in handling abuse. "Cardinal Pell will not lead the visitation and has never anticipated doing so. However, these rumours have led some to question his record in dealing with sexual abuse in the Church here in Australia. There are good answers to these questions," the Archdiocese said in a statement.
"Soon after becoming Archbishop of Melbourne, Cardinal Pell led the Church with a world-first in 1996 when he established an independent commission to investigate complaints of sexual abuse, supported by an independent compensation panel and an independent counselling service for victims.
"A short time later the national Towards Healing protocol was also established.
"During his time as Archbishop of Melbourne, Cardinal Pell always followed the advice of the independent commission and permanently removed approximately 20 priests from ministry in the five years he was there."
"It is entirely appropriate that the Church's response to sexual abuse is subjected to public scrutiny. This has assisted the Church in Australia to identify mistakes and to strengthen its processes.
"Cardinal Pell's own role has been closely examined by the media and public throughout his time as Archbishop in two cities, and he has been actively involved, with bishops, leaders of religious orders, and experts in various areas, in improving the response of the church to sexual abuse and to victims," the statement said.
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