Cardinal George Pell needs to be removed from the priesthood after the full details of the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Abuse findings were finally released, acknowledging he knew of child abuse in the Ballarat diocese.
Pell allowed Gerald Ridsdale and others to continue to abuse children in their care for decades by simply moving them around to continue abusing
I was a victim of Ridsdale over a period of years, living in the presbytery in Mortlake where he abused nearly every Catholic boy in the town, as well as number of young girls.
George Pell accompanied Ridsdale to court in the ’90s as a character reference. He claimed he did not know why he was going to court that day.
I ask Pell be dismissed from the clerical state and defrocked, or in the very least resign immediately.
Pell attended consulters meetings in Ballarat Diocese were Ridsdale’s and other child abuse offending was discussed in Rome Pell quoted “ it was not of interest to me “
Please, help me get Pell removed from the protection of the Catholic Church in Australia and Rome.
The Church needs to face survivors and offer fair compensation, not the dismal offers you have made in the past
The Pope needs to set an example, showing child abuse and the cover-up of child abuse is not acceptable and will be dealt with by the law of the land, not your canon law!
Please, sign and share my petition and stand with survivors of child sexual abuse.
Paul Levey
Survivor of Gerald Ridsdale
About my life and my abuse by the Catholic paedophile priest Gerald Francis Ridsdale
For those who don’t know my story here it is. Paul Levey
WARNING THIS MAY BE TRIGGERING!
In the early 80’s my family was introduced to Gerald Francis Ridsdale, he was a Catholic priest from the Ballarat Diocese, he was studying at The National Pastoral Institute (Catholic study institute). A nun introduced him to my family.
I was going to St Bedes school Mentone Melbourne. We went on a camping trip to White Cliffs NSW with him and some of his family (Nephews who later I found out he was abusing as well and his brother) and some other adults. This was around 1980. The abuse (sexual and mental) started in the shower block at the local caravan park. This went on for two weeks. We then returned to Melbourne.
Over the next few years he would pick me up from school and abuse me at NPI (National Pastoral Institute a Catholic study institute in Melbourne. A part of Star of the Sea Catholic college) and at home we also went back to White Cliffs several times.
In late 1981 I was asked to leave St Bedes because my behaviour was getting out of hand, I was belted by de la Salle brothers daily.
In early 1982 I was caught not going to school, Ridsdale found out I was wagging so he suggested to my mother who was recently separated from my father that I should come up to Mortlake to live with him (Father Gerald Francis Ridsdale) at the presbytery. My father and he arranged for me to move to Mortlake with him, my mother was struggling with the separation, she was a practicing Catholic as she comes from a very strong Catholic family.
I lived there for approximately 6 months where I was abused on a daily basis. No one was there to help me.
I was a 13 year old in the country town without my family or friends, I got to make some friends in Mortlake and would always try to have them around as Ridsdale would not do anything to me in front of other kids.
I was later to find out he abused most of my young male friends and one girl. This also eats at me as I feel guilty for putting others in harms way with this monster called Father Ridsdale.
My mother hounded the then arch Bishop Ronald Mulkearns of the Ballarat diocese to let me go back to my mother but the bishop continually told her he could do nothing as the agreement about me living at the presbytery with Ridsdale was between him and my father!
Eventually some other parents and teachers (nuns from CRC – Catholic Regional College) from Mortlake went to Mulkearns and complained to him that Ridsdale was acting and doing inappropriate things to their children, so finally I was moved out to a family on a farm in Mortlake.
Later a nun from the Catholic Regional College Noorat rang my father and told him I needed to be picked up and taken back to Melbourne because I was not behaving and I was not in a good environment.
She knew what Ridsdale was doing !!!!!
So I went home to live and Ridsdale was moved to Sydney where he kept offending and he was moved to Mexico for help with his so-called homosexuality (pedophilia).
The church called it homosexuality FFS. Over these years Ridsdale kept in contact with my father, he even offered to marry me in the early 90’s !!!!
He also gave evidence at my mothers annulment which the church never gave her, she never spoke of this abuse to anyone.
This abuse took place over 3 years; I was an innocent child from a broken family !!!!
Around 1992 when I was 22 years old Derryn Hinch named and shamed Ridsdale on national TV, my father then contacted me and asked what went on with Ridsdale so I told him. I was then marched up to Sunbury police station where I made a formal statement.
My case was then handed over to the Warrnambool police; he was charged with hundreds of counts of sexual abuse to a child under 16 and received 22 years with an 18 year minimum sentence. He has been charged with 100s more and will never get out of jail. His list of victims and survivors continues to grow.
I never spoke of the abuse again until recent years.
I am now 48. Over the years he never hid the fact I was living at the presbytery. Most of the priests and bishops knew I was living at the presbytery; this has been proven at the Royal Commission into institutional Child Abuse. I have given statements at the Commission several times so has my mother.
There was documented proof the Ballarat diocese and Mulkearns and other priests knew I lived in the presbytery.
When the Royal Commission started I was known as “The Boy in the presbytery”.
I never spoke to my mother for years as she believed that it should be kept quite as she did not want to hurt the church.
When my children came along my partner Michele East got us speaking again, my mother came to Melbourne to give her statement and to listen to mine and many others who also gave their statement. She stopped going to church at 75 years old as this destroyed here faith as she could not return to church after hearing the priests and bishops lie, she also listened to other survivors and police statements.
All my statements have been proven in two Courts of law so to all of you who question my abuse you can go #^* yourself.
We started a Men’s Support Group in Sunbury to give survivors from Salesian support with their emotional turmoil and also give survivors from all childhood abuse that now live in the Sunbury area the real support they need both medically and legally.
After going to Ballarat and the Royal Commission I thought it was all about survivors supporting survivors but I have since learned not all survivors and their supporters think this way !!!!!!
After Rome this was destroyed. I have since seen and experienced the attacks on Social Media towards me. Maybe they need to have a good look at themselves.
No more lives need to be taken away !!!!
I have had numerous attempts to take my own life, sometimes it’s been because of what others have said; it’s that easy to push someone over the edge and if other survivors and their supporters are attempting to do this it’s a disgrace !!!!
Ballarat is not the only place this type of institutional childhood abuse was going on. Some people think Ballarat was the only place this abuse went on, some people need to wake up.
Last of all I do not protect pedophiles nor do I support pedophiles , I think they all deserve to be punished to the full force of the Law.
As for the Catholic survivors they need to remember that Catholic Cannon law protects pedophiles by allowing them to confess their crimes like child abuse in confession and the priest hearing this is not obliged to report it to anyone including the Law of our land !!!!!
I also do not condone what David Ridsdale did to another child abuse survivor! !!
if others are out there they need to come forward and press charges; I know this is not so easy but if you have the right support it can be done. This is not saying all Ballarat survivors are like this but only few.
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 