A close associate of Cardinal George Pell has contradicted the former archbishop's assertion that he was unaware of how much money abuse victim John Ellis was seeking from the church.

Monsignor Brian Rayner was chancellor and vicar-general of the archdiocese when Mr Ellis went through the internal church system of dealing with victims, Towards Healing.

Mr Ellis was abused for five years by priest Father Aidan Duggan at Bass Hill in Sydney, starting in 1974, when Mr Ellis was 13.

The monsignor, who represented the church authority in Towards Healing, told the royal commission into child sexual abuse on Monday he had told then-archbishop Dr Pell that Mr Ellis wanted $100,000 to cover counselling and accommodation.

"Anything to do with an amount of money, I would have to get the authorisation from the archbishop," he said as he explained that he had received Dr Pell's approval to make an initial $25,000 offer.