WHAT CARDINAL GEORGE PELL HAS TO ANSWER BEFORE CHILD ABUSE ROYAL COMMISSION
WHY HE'S APPEARING AGAIN
Now the Vatican's finance chief, the former Melbourne and Sydney archbishop and Ballarat priest will give evidence about abuse in the Ballarat diocese and Melbourne archdiocese.
Between 1973 and 1984 Pell was a Ballarat East priest, Episcopal Vicar for Education in the Ballarat diocese and an adviser to the Ballarat bishop.
Pell presided over St Alipius primary school where four Christian Brothers were pedophiles. He and another priest lived in a presbytery with Australia's worst pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale in 1973.
Pell was Melbourne auxiliary bishop (1987-1996), responsible for a region including Doveton which had a succession of pedophile priests, and then Melbourne archbishop (1996-2001).
CLAIM HE ATTEMPTED TO BRIBE A VICTIM
David Ridsdale claims when he told Pell in 1993 he had been abused by his uncle Gerald Ridsdale, Pell said: "I want to know what it will take to keep you quiet."
Pell denies the allegation.
CLAIM HE DISMISSED A VICTIM'S COMPLAINT
Timothy Green, 53, said when he was 12 or 13 he told Pell that Brother Edward Dowlan was abusing boys at Ballarat's St Patrick's College in 1974. "Fr Pell said `don't be ridiculous' and walked out."
Pell says he has no recollection of a conversation with Green and it did not happen.
CLAIM HE REMARKED RIDSDALE OFFENDING AGAIN
Former altar boy BWE said he overheard Pell tell Fr Frank Madden before a funeral in Ballarat in 1983: "Ha, ha, I think Gerry's been rooting boys again."
Pell's barrister Sam Duggan said the allegation was utterly false.
Madden said Pell never said that and had never used that kind of language.
CLAIMS HE WAS COMPLICIT IN MOVING RIDSDALE BETWEEN PARISHES
The commission has heard 1971-1997 Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns knew in 1975 Ridsdale had abused children but did not tell his advisers the reason he and other pedophile priests were moved between parishes.
Pell was at a 1982 meeting which discussed moving Ridsdale from Mortlake.
Mulkearns told the meeting there was a problem with homosexuality in the diocese and he had to move Ridsdale, Ballarat priest Fr Eric Bryant said.
Pell says Mulkearns did not raise pedophilia allegations against Ridsdale.
"I would never have condoned or participated in a decision to transfer Ridsdale in the knowledge that he had abused children, and I did not do so," Pell said.
HIS PART IN FAILURES IN THE MELBOURNE ARCHDIOCESE
Current Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart says his predecessors failed to act on abuse complaints but excluded Pell from his criticism.
Hart said there was a complete failure in handling complaints in Doveton and Pell will have to explain what he knew.
"I would have expected him to have an adequate degree of knowledge; whether he knew all these awful things, which make me feel ashamed, I'm not sure."
WHAT RIDSDALE SAYS ABOUT PELL
Ridsdale testified he could remember nothing of his former housemate Pell. Pell has said it was a mistake to accompany Ridsdale to his first court appearance in 1993 as he did not know the extent of his crimes.
Ridsdale said he did not discuss the offences with Pell.
