Cardinal George Pell says he is ASHAMED of the
Catholic Church's handling of child sex abuse scandals
calling it a 'cancer' that haunts him and claims he has seen
the damage it has done to victims
PUBLISHED: 09:33 EDT, 11 April 2020
UPDATED: 09:51 EDT, 11 April 2020
"George Pell admitted he is ashamed of his church's handling of child sex abuse
The 78-year-old spoke about the church's failings in interview with Andrew Bolt
The cardinal was released from jail on Tuesday after convictions were quashed
Cardinal George Pell said he is ashamed of the Catholic Church's handling of child sex abuse scandals and compared it to 'cutting out a cancer'.
The 78-year-old spoke candidly about the church's failings following his release from prison in a sit down interview with Sky News Australia presenter Andrew Bolt.
In a preview for the interview, Bolt asked the cardinal whether he was ashamed of the church and how it dealt with child sex abuse scandals.
'Yes. There are two levels. One is the crimes itself and then the treating it so inadequately for so long,' Cardinal Pell said.
"'It's like cutting out a cancer. I think, please God, we've got rid of it.'
Cardinal Pell said he condemns 'these sort of activities', adding he has seen the damage it has done to victims.
'One of the things that grieves me is the suggestion that I'm anti-victim, or not sufficiently sympathetic,' he said.
The interview, which will air on Tuesday at 7pm, also sheds light on Cardinal Pell's experiences in jail - where he befriended a number of inmates, including a convicted murderer.
During his first days in freedom, Cardinal Pell wrote a letter to The Weekend Australian about his suffering and the coronavirus pandemic.
'I have just spent 13 months in jail for a crime I didn't commit, one disappointment after another,' he wrote.
'I knew God was with me, but I didn't know what He was up to, although I realised he has left all of us free.'
Cardinal Pell wrote that 'every person suffers' and will be confronted by a series of questions, including 'what should I do?' and 'why did this happen to me?'"
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8210365/Cardinal-George-Pell-says-ASHAMED-Catholic-Churchs-handling-child-sex-abuse-scandals.html