I'm still fully committed to Ballarat: Pell

But victims say they’ve been left to pick up the pieces of a city still in the midst of a mental health crisis. 

Cardinal Pell’s statement was the product of an hour-long meeting with a group of survivors who had travelled to Rome last March to watch the cardinal give video evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

"One suicide is too many, and there have been many such tragic suicides," the Cardinal said last year.

"I commit myself to working … to try to stop this so that suicide is not seen as an option for those who are suffering.”

Yet a year later, victims are asking the same question: what has been put in place to help those left reeling by the trauma of sexual abuse? 

It was the story that stopped Australia and made headlines across the world. 

The journey of the 15 clergy sexual abuse survivors followed a national $200,000 crowd-funding campaign to help victims travel to Rome, after the inquiry accepted a medical report which said Cardinal Pell was at risk of heart failure if he made the journey back to Australia.

Paul Auchettl, who was sexually abused by disgraced Christian brother Robert Best, still held out hope the journey to Rome would bring about change from the Vatican hierarchy down. 

Best was jailed for another six years last week, for sex crimes against 20 more victims. Scores of sexual abuse survivors have come forward in the wake of the inquiry.

Notorious paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale will front court again on Friday, faced with a string of historic offences involving 11 more victims. 

“The Catholic Church is the cause and I would expect them to face up to being part of the cure,” Mr Auchettl said.

“It’s that simple. I want to see them become part of the recovery of all people even those who haven’t been abused by the Catholic Church.. but those who have faced abuse or been impacted by this legacy of trauma.”

In a statement to The Courier Cardinal Pell said he “remained fully committed” to working towards the establishment of a network of support for victims. 

“The survivors need to be allowed to determine, in conjunction with the local authorities, what they regard as the most effective response,” Cardinal Pell said on Wednesday.

“This might or might not involve a specifically Catholic contribution, which would depend on the decisions of the survivors.”

But another survivor, Andrew Collins, said victims were left “treading water”.

“Everybody seems to be waiting for the recommendations of the royal commission to come out instead of saying; ‘this is what do we need to do now to keep people alive’,” he said.

He called for the establishment of a Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team which could assist people at risk of self-harm 24-hours a day.

Peter Blenkiron, who was abused by disgraced Christian Brother Edward Dowlan, said redress for victims was critical.

But he said an ongoing support system which provided individualised care for victims was yet to be established.

Other victims were trapped in a cycle of poverty unable to get adequate compensation to live from the Church.

“They are trying to get back to a level pegging where their lives aren’t going to fall apart because of not just the emotional, physical, and relationship issues but critically the financial instability due to damaged mental capacity and loss of capacity to earn a living,” Mr Blenkiron said.

“But the Church is offering them what they deem defendable even if its fall short in creating that stability as determined by professional assessment.”

Earlier this month it was revealed the Christian Brother’s Order had spent more than $1.5 million defending Best because he decided to plead guilty. 

Mr Blenkiron said behind the scenes, work was underway with community and medical leaders to establish a support network people struggling with trauma, abuse or mental health issues. 

“Without the work happening at the schools and on a community level, I don’t know where we would be,” he said.

Clergy sexual abuse victim Paul Levey, who refused to meet Cardinal Pell after the hearing in Rome, said the trip had been catalyst for change.

But, he’s lost all faith in the Catholic Church being vehicle of healing for victims.

 Mr Levey was raped daily while living with Ridsdale at a presbytery in Mortlake in 1982. 

He has formed the Sunbury Men’s Survivors Support Group for male victims of abuse, including historic abuse at Salesian College.

He is also undertaking training to be a counsellor to support other victims.

“It’s the victims who are still fighting for things to change," he said.

"It's like the Catholic Church just hope the survivors will go away and die. But we’re not going to. We will keep fighting.”

Mr Levey said the emotional toll on survivors following the trip was profound, with many struggling to cope when they returned.

But he said the trip showed the world the human face of child sexual abuse.

“We showed the world our pain,” he said.

“We were able to be a voice for victims of child sexual abuse all over the world.”

“We were there for the ones who have taken their own lives, or those who can’t speak out for themselves.”

In Ballarat, principals at schools caught up in the sexual abuse scandal are taking steps to prevent it happening again. 

St Patrick's College is the first school in Victoria to sign onto the Keeping Safe child protection curriculum.

The school is also building Ballarat’s first permanent monument to child sexual abuse victims incorporating a woven tapestry of the colourful ribbons collected at the college during the Loud Fence movement.

St Alipius Parish School has also become a leader in robust child protection policies and mandatory reporting practices to safeguard children.

Philip Nagle, who was sexually abused by disgraced Christian brother Stephen Frances Farrell, said he’d been floored by the outpouring of community support.

Mr Nagle travelled to Rome to honour his 12 fellow St Alipius Christian Brothers Primary School pupils who have committed suicide or died prematurely - out of a class of 33.

“People are talking more about what happened in the past but also what can happen in the future to protect our kids,” he said.

“The support from the public and schools like St Pat’s is something I never could have imagined.”

Cardinal Pell has himself been investigated by Victoria Police for allegations of child abuse from the 1970s to the 1990s, prompting Victoria Police officers to fly to Rome to interview him in October last year.

There is no suggestion Cardinal Pell is guilty of allegations made against him. 

He has repeatedly and categorically denied any allegations of sexual abuse.  

The case is now with Victoria's Office of Public Prosecutions after police handed over a brief of evidence in February.

Cardinal Pell said he’d been in contact with the Vice-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, Professor Greg Craven.

He added the university was working alongside a men's health initiative being developed by a group of community and medical leaders to address health issues affecting men in the region, including those who have been affected by sexual abuse.

“I support this initiative and will follow how it develops with great interest,” he said.

“I repeat that I remain totally committed to helping when requested and in a way that locals regard as appropriate."

To contact the Centre Against Sexual Assault call 5320 3933 or free call 24 hours 1800 806 292.

 Lifeline can be contacted on 13 11 14