Education boss in 'appalling situation'

Cardinal George Pell has described the head of the Catholic Education Office as a "very competent director" after saying previously he was deceived by the office about a pedophile priest.

Cardinal Pell told the child abuse royal commission on Wednesday he was deceived by the office, which did not reveal a series of complaints about Doveton parish priest Father Peter Searson when he reported another complaint to the office in 1989.

He said the education authorities deceived him because they were fearful of him speaking out and upsetting he status quo.

On Thursday he said the director of the CEO at the time, Monsignor Thomas Doyle, was "a very competent director of education".

"We now know, as I didn't at the time, that he had stated explicitly he wanted Searson removed," Cardinal Pell said.

"When the Archbishop refused to do that it put Father Doyle in an appallingly difficult situation."