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Topic History of: Cardinal Pell Max. showing the last 5 posts - (Last post first)
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Barney
It is noteworthy that the secular country of Australia was the first, in the world, to hold a national inquiry in the roles of faiths - particularly the Catholic one - in systematic child abuse.
Even though Pell opposed this for decades, saying that there was no need - and that the church could police itself. Former PM Howard agreed.
Other countries may well follow suit - and, in addition, a number of cases are currently in session in the US, and elsewhere - against dioceses and clergy.
The Vatican response, reaction and solution - will be interesting, particularly after the recent Rome summit on the church's acknowledged child abuse, by its clergy.
Barney
An investigation - carried out by the Catholic church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - will now take place into Pell's case.
This will be handled by the Holy See - probably in Rome - and is ruled by Canon law, and quite independent and different to the Victorian legal process.
Essentially Pell will now be judged by his peers - with the investigation headed by an appointed judicial vicar.
And - in the coming months - he will appeal the decision and sentence of the Victorian court.
Barney
Barney takes no pleasure concerning this matter, or outcome.
It's the bigger picture that's more relevant - child abuse by Catholic clergy, on every continent.
Pope Francis is on the case though - not pulling any punches, so far - and that's reassuring.
Significantly, about half a dozen Cardinals have now bitten the dust. In the US, France, Chile and - now Australia.
Like everyone else, I have no idea which of those many verdicts (in numerous jurisdictions) - if any - are correct.
hedda
The judge was unusually vicious in his words (and apparently made some dreadful mistakes during the trial that form part of the appeal).
He was correct about the sheer nastiness and danger of mobs but ignored the lynch mobs of the media who have been relentless and vicious.
And few words are said about the sheer corruption of Victorian Police (all those Underbelly films just showed a faction of it)who decided to Get Pell on no evidence and set about advertising- trawling - for "victims" long before Pell was charged.
# A Royal Commission soon to start on how Vic Police have been running about 12 defense solicitors as informants who have been feeding the cops information about their clients for around 20 years. Expect masses of resignations and dozens of Appeals by convicted murderers, drug runners etc.
## some of those solicitors, or indeed cops may never make it to give evidence. The highly Organised Crime gangs in Victoria- with heavy Italian Mafia involvement fly in contract killers who do the job and are on a plane back to Sicily that day.
Even then only ONE Pell complainant came forward in 2015 ( the few others were tossed out in the Magistrate's court as either fantasists, liars, impossible to have happened and patently absurd)
Still one stuck despite a mass of evidence to the opposite including a 78 year old highly respected Verger who gave evidence that he accompanied Pell the entire time he was at the Cathedral as ..that was his job.
( I hear Barney's down at the local celebrating and buying the pub rounds of drinks )
JK2006
Twelve years ago I wrote this song; basically saying that Satan was extremely clever and one of his weapons of mass destruction was false allegations. As I watch George Pell get jailed for six years and the Judge saying he'll probably die in prison, I think of this lyric.
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