Paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale, dead at 90.
Gerald Ridsdale is perhaps one of the Catholic Churches’ worst paedophile priests. His history of offending, the protection he received, and the pain inflicted upon his survivors is perhaps one of the finest examples of the Catholic Church using their power and control to protect one of their own.
The lives ruined by Gerald Ridsdale are countess and have long reaching impacts.
In 1993, a few years before George Pell was named the seventh Archbishop of Melbourne, he walked with Gerald Ridsdale to Court where Ridsdale was facing charges of child sexual abuse. The position of the Church was clearly outlined in what has become one of the most iconic photos of the Catholic Church protecting one of their own.
Ridsdale stood for decades before Catholic Congregations preaching about good and evil, the innocence of children and a merciful god… but in plain sight and dressed in superior garb, he used his merciful god to commit heinous crimes on the communities most vulnerable.
Ridsdale was initially appointed as an assistant priest in Ballarat North in 1962, but it didn’t last long. The Bishop of Ballarat, James O’Collins received a complaint of abuse so was quick to move him to the Parish of Mildura. For the next 30 years, he was moved to 16 different parishes across Australia and his behaviour was discussed at no less than 18 meetings of the College of Consultors. In 1989, Ridsdale was sent by the Catholic Church for treatment in New Mexico, an American site that was dedicated to treating clergy members with “personal issues”.
Ridsdale was serving a maximum of 40 years in prison after previously pleading guilty to sexually abusing at least 72 children during the 1970s and 1980s while working as a Catholic priest at multiple schools and churches across Victoria. He died in jail…but he is a stark reminder that the Catholic Church is fiercely loyal when it comes to one of their own.
Seeking Legal Assistance for Institutional Child Abuse Survivors
The expert abuse lawyers at Stacks Goudkamp have acted for a number of survivors who were sexually abused by Priests in the Diocese of Ballarat, Victoria and Archdiocese of Melbourne. If you or someone you know has been impacted by institutional child abuse institutional child abuse, then please contact Stacks Goudkamp for a free, no obligation and confidential meeting or find more information on choosing the right institutional abuse lawyer.
