Episodes

  • The Reckoning preview - Guardian Australia podcast | David Marr

    The Reckoning preview - Guardian Australia podcast | David Marr
    Dec 8 2017
    David Marr explores the unravelling of the child abuse scandal in Australia and across the globe. In a story of ‘faith, power, money and abuse’ he investigates the work of the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, the first inquiry of such a scale anywhere in the world. Warning: some of the material in this podcast is explicit and could be upsetting
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    1 min
  • The Reckoning part one: the road to the royal commission – podcast | David Marr

    The Reckoning part one: the road to the royal commission – podcast | David Marr
    Dec 11 2017
    At the start of a new series by Guardian Australia, David Marr investigates the background to Australia’s unprecedented royal commission on institutional responses to child sexual abuse – investigating a centuries-long story of faith, money, power and abuse. Marr traces the story through the US, Ireland and, eventually, to Australia. He hears from victims, experts and participants in the commission as he investigates: why has the truth taken so long to emerge? Warning: some of the material in this podcast is explicit and upsetting • Why Australia’s royal commission on child sexual abuse had to happen – explainer
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    19 mins
  • The Reckoning, part 2: David Marr on the appalling truth revealed at the child sexual abuse commission

    The Reckoning, part 2: David Marr on the appalling truth revealed at the child sexual abuse commission
    Dec 15 2017
    David Marr and Melissa Davey follow the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse – from the hearings in Ballarat in Victoria, ground zero of Australia’s abuse scandal, to a powerful final gathering in Sydney. The story includes evidence from Australia’s most notorious child abuser, Gerald Ridsdale, and his victims. Warning: some of the material in this podcast is explicit and upsetting The Reckoning, part 1: the road to the commission Royal commission delivers its final report
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    20 mins
  • The Reckoning, part 3: David Marr on what needs to happen now the work of the child sexual abuse royal commission is over

    The Reckoning, part 3: David Marr on what needs to happen now the work of the child sexual abuse royal commission is over
    Dec 20 2017
    David Marr and Melissa Davey examine the response to the royal commission’s final report which was made public on 15 December, including the reaction from senior figures in the Catholic church. The story includes powerful testimony about the long-term impact of abuse from a man who suffered severe sexual and physical assault in a Christian Brothers school, John Hennessey. Warning: some of the material in this podcast is explicit and upsetting The Reckoning, part 1: the road to the commission The Reckoning, part 2: the appalling truth
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    25 mins
  • Inside George Pell’s trial: ‘The room was deathly silent’ – The Reckoning podcast

    Inside George Pell’s trial: ‘The room was deathly silent’ – The Reckoning podcast
    Feb 26 2019
    In 2018 George Pell found himself in a Melbourne courtroom facing five charges of child sexual abuse. The cardinal had hired one of the top defence barristers in the state, who argued that what Pell was accused of was completely impossible. But at the end of the trial Pell sat impassively as in a hushed courtroom he was found guilty of all charges. How did he lose this case? Melissa Davey sat in on the trial and tells David Marr the details only someone who was in the courtroom would know • David Marr: Brutal and dogmatic, George Pell waged war on sex – even as he abused children • Follow live updates on the reaction to Pell’s conviction
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    33 mins
  • David Marr on the extraordinary rise of George Pell – The Reckoning podcast

    David Marr on the extraordinary rise of George Pell – The Reckoning podcast
    Mar 2 2019
    Now that George Pell has been found guilty of child sexual abuse, we can ask ourselves: what does his story tell us about the Catholic church? The rise of Pell, from a country diocese in Australia to the highest ranks of the Vatican, shows us what attitudes and actions find swift promotion in this ancient organisation• David Marr: Brutal and dogmatic, George Pell waged war on sex – even as he abused children• Timeline: the rise and fall of George Pell
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    27 mins
  • Why George Pell was sentenced to six years and what happens next – The Reckoning podcast

    Why George Pell was sentenced to six years and what happens next – The Reckoning podcast
    Mar 14 2019
    In an extraordinary sitting of the county court of Victoria, chief judge Peter Kidd sat and delivered a detailed sentence to George Pell for the five counts of child sexual abuse he had been found guilty of. Melissa Davey tells David Marr why this was a ‘masterclass’ verdict and brings us the personal accounts of those harmed by Pell’s crimes. Read the judge’s full sentencing remarks here David Marr: George Pell’s jailing defies the might of Rome but his fall is too appalling for celebration
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    33 mins
  • George Pell's appeal: will the verdict stand? – The Reckoning podcast

    George Pell's appeal: will the verdict stand? – The Reckoning podcast
    Jun 7 2019
    Over two days in Melbourne, lawyers put to the Victorian court of appeal arguments about whether George Pell’s convictions should be put aside. David Marr and Melissa Davey highlight the most interesting discussions from the court and ask some key questions: did Pell’s defence fail because his team argued it was impossible for the crimes to be committed? Did the prosecution fail to sing the praises of the role of the jury? What must the three judges be thinking? • David Marr: after a train wreck of a day, George Pell’s fate hinges on alibi evidence
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    21 mins