ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the representations provided to public inquiry by the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), primarily through evidence given by Cardinal George Pell to the Royal Commission and Victorian Inquiry, and the Truth Justice and Healing Council (TJHC) to the Royal Commission. In evidence to public inquiries, the representatives of the RCC have emphasised that the Church responded according to the social standards of the time. The Victorian Inquiry and Royal Commission have shown a shift in the position taken by the RCC in response to external examination. The evidence produced in public inquiry discussed has made evident the exercise of pastoral power both within the Church and between the Church and the state. The effect of the argument is multi-layered. First, it divests those lower in the hierarchy of responsibility and isolates the bishop as the source of bad decision making.
