Touched down under Sorry dag

FORMER health minister Tony Abbott has defended embattled Cardinal George Pell over a Catholic Church sex scandal.



Mr Abbott, one of Australia's most prominant Catholics and a friend of the Cardinal, said his mate acted "honourably" amid claims that he misled victims of abuse at the hands of former priest Father Terrence Goodall.



He said Cardinal Pell should be given credit for publicly admitting he made a mistake in his response to the abuse allegations."There's been no question, as I understand it, of this man (Goodall) coming back into the ministry," Mr Abbott said to Newsradio. "Immediate action was taken against him, and I think Cardinal Pell has a pretty good record when it comes to making sure that there is no misbehaviour on the part of the priests of the archdiocese in which he's been in charge." Victim Anthony Jones released a letter signed by Dr Pell saying the claims of abuse were not substantiated. Dr Pell had dismissed the complaint against Father Goodall in 2003 after giving weight to the priest's claim the encounter was consensual. Mr Jones consistently claimed otherwise, and in police wire tap evidence given to church investigators three years ago, Goodall admits to forcing himself on Mr Jones. Dr Pell said yesterday that while he had no knowledge of the taped conversations, he would now seek legal advice on reopening the investigation.





Earlier, he admitted he was mistaken when he wrote to Mr Jones in 2003 saying no one else had contacted the church with complaints about Goodall. It has been revealed he wrote to another man the same day, stating a church investigation confirmed he was sexually abused by Goodall. A church investigation into Mr Jones' claims found they were substantiated, and Dr Pell has acknowledged he wrongly attributed his personal dismissal of rape allegations as being the finding of the church investigation. "That was an overstatement. That was an innocent error," he said. He also admitted his letter to Mr Jones "was badly worded and a mistake", and that he had meant to convey there was "no other allegation of rape" involving Goodall, not that there were no other abuse allegations.





But he said it was not a cover-up. "There was no cover up," Dr Pell said.



The furore comes as Pope Benedict heads to Australia for World Youth Day, which is being held in Sydney next week.





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CARDINAL George Pell should consider stepping down in the light of a sex abuse scandal, the Greens say.The Archbishop of Sydney has been accused of misleading a man abused by a priest, and giving weight to the Father Terrence Goodall's claim the sexual encounter was consensual.





Letters aired on ABC Television earlier this week showed Cardinal Pell told Anthony Jones that his complaint against Father Terrence could not be upheld because the church was not aware of any other complaints against the priest.





But another letter showed Cardinal Pell was aware of a second allegation of sexual abuse against Father Goodall.





Cardinal Pell earlier this week said he got his decision wrong and had expressed himself poorly in the letter to Mr Jones.





The archbishop has now referred the matter to an independent panel after revelations that in 2003 police phone transcripts, Father Goodall admits to Mr Jones, now 54, that the encounter was not consensual.





In 2005, Father Goodall was convicted of indecently assaulting Mr Jones in 1982 after pleading guilty to the charges, but served no time in prison.





The claims came to light just days before the arrival of the Pope in Sydney for World Youth Day.





Greens senator Christine Milne tonight pointed to the case of former Anglican bishop Peter Hollingworth, who stood down as governor-general over claims he mishandled a sex abuse claim."I think Cardinal Pell needs to really think about his leadership role in the church in Australia,"





Senator Milne told ABC Television's Q and A program."I think he needs to think about whether he's putting his own aspirations in terms of World Youth Day ahead of the church.





"Senator Milne said the culture of abuse in churches had to stop, and denials should cease.


"I really think the culture of abuse has to be owned, recognised," she said.