Cardinal Pell Charged with Historic Sex Abuse
It's been a long time comin'. I have reported on this ongoing investigation before, several times. What is it with the One True Religion™? Here we have someone, Cardinal George Pell (Vatican treasurer), in one of the most senior positions in the church being accused of one of the most culturally heinous crimes. Cardinals should be the arbiters of morality, potentially that much closer to God. It's not unusual, since Cardinal Ratzinger, as was before he his coronation as Lord-High King-Godman, was in charge of the team responsible for checking the files of abusing priests and moving them on to other posts, not reporting them to the police. This meant that the Pope, as was, was complicit in [the cover-up of] child sexual abuse. For any doubt about this, see the incredible documentary Mea Maxima Culpa from Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney. If you have not seen it, then I suggest you do so right now!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQv8um9YC1o Back to Pell. He will be travelling back to Australia to face charges in court, something he is "looking forward to", in order to try to clear his name. As the Guardian reports:
“Cardinal Pell is facing multiple charges … and there are multiple complainants,” Victoria police’s deputy commissioner Shane Patton said. The charges were “historical sexual assault offences”.
In a statement released by the Catholic archdiocese of Sydney 90 minutes after the charges were announced, Pell announced he would “return to Australia, as soon as possible, to clear his name”.
Pell is the highest-ranking Vatican official to be charged in the Catholic church’s long-running sexual abuse scandal.
Pell’s statement, issued at 4.30am Rome time, said: “Although it is still in the early hours of the morning in Rome, Cardinal George Pell has been informed of the decision and action of Victoria police. He has again strenuously denied all allegations.
“Cardinal Pell will return to Australia, as soon as possible, to clear his name following advice and approval by his doctors who will also advise on his travel arrangements.
“He said he is looking forward to his day in court and will defend the charges vigorously.”
This comes after a long time wrangling over his appearance in Australia in order to help with the investigation. This is what I had previously reported on, and what the Vatican had refused to accede to. But perhaps the present Pope is trying to morally do the right thing. Either way, he is on the way back to Australia. As the Guardian continues:
Detectives from Victoria police’s Sano taskforce, established to investigate allegations that emerged during a parliamentary inquiry in Victoria and the later royal commission, interviewed Pell in Rome in October about allegations against him.
Last year, citing ill health, Pell declined to return to Australia to give evidence to the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse in person last year and instead gave evidence by videolink from Rome.
The royal commission, ordered by then-Australian prime minister Julia Gillard in 2012 and formed in 2013, is due to deliver its final report by 15 December.
In February the Australian Senate called on the cardinal to return home “to assist the Victorian police and office of public prosecutions with their investigation into these matters”.
Pell dismissed the parliamentary resolution as “an interference on the part of the Senate in the due process of the Victoria police investigation”.
Because this is so public, this puts Pope Francis in a tough position. His reactions will be heavily scrutinised, so he will have to be very careful indeed. There will and should be an expectation for zero tolerance for sex abusers in the Vatican, but this would put them into a corner. If they do this with Cardinal Pell, and hang him out to dry, what may follow? What torrent of cases will flood through the legal gates?
My opinion is that the church should try to reform. Hang everyone out to dry in an effort to be the most morally upright they can, and then start again. It may take them thirty years to bounce back, but they will at least be more open and honest and morally proper. Honesty is always the better option in the long-run.
However, if the gangrene is so deeply spread throughout the organisation, this might be impossible. And this puts them in a quandary.
We will all be watching to see how this unfolds.