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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
Cardinal George Pell, The Catholic Church and Child Sex Abuse
- Thread starter Tigers of Old
- Start date
About his only "win" this year …. I think even his paymasters are starting to realise he is toxic in a time when unity is needed and he simply does not have the humanity in him to play the conciliator.
I hate what Pell and his clergy mates have done to young boys (and girls) as much as anyone but in the end it was always about what could be proven in court. The key point is "The unchallenged evidence of the opportunity witnesses was inconsistent with the applicant's guilt." So, technically he is not guilty of this offence but I hope the boy from the boys home in Ballarat, who was interviewed in the final ABC Revelation program, has the strength to bring civil proceedings against him.
Initial verdict never sat right. Whether he did it or not, nobody's life should be destroyed on the say-so of a single uncorroborated witness, no matter how impressive the witness's standing or bearing.
Not surprised. ... the legal world, politics and the church, particularly the Catholics, have always been intrinsically linked. No separations of power.
Plenty of rock spiders in all organizations wielding that power. Pell can now spend the rest of his days looking over his shoulder and living in fear..... in a strange way he may end up finding he was safer where he was.
Plenty of rock spiders in all organizations wielding that power. Pell can now spend the rest of his days looking over his shoulder and living in fear..... in a strange way he may end up finding he was safer where he was.
Which of these high court justices (who voted unanimously to acquit)are the “rock spiders” who are apparently looking out for Pell?
- Chief Justice Kiefel AC, 3 September 2007
- Justice Bell AC, 3 February 2009
- Justice Gageler AC, 9 October 2012
- Justice Keane AC, 5th March 2013
- Justice Nettle AC, 3 February 2015
- Justice Gordon AC, 9 June 2015
- Justice Edelman, 30 January 2017
Along with all his 'partners in crime' who are still alive today. And all those who sat on committees to move around those pedophiles from town to town...just so many who put the kids last in their decisions.
The entire Catholic Church should be dismantled given the systematic abuse that's happened under it.
It will be that much harder after today's verdict for victims to come forward.
Wouldn't have a clue if any of this lot are that way inclined. ... don't think I specifically said the HC as a group were.
As for his trial he was found guilty by a jury and in his appeal at least one of the 3 brethren was with him.
I suppose having been brought up in this religion and endured being under the 'care' of the Christian Brothers for 4 years in secondary school. ..... my views of this disgusting organization might be somewhat extreme!
A very sad and frustrating day for the victims, being unable to even attend and protest.
they will be inconsolable. But a tiny consolation is,
that a man of Pell's ego and age, the reputational, physical and psychological toll of a year in prison
would be like 20 years.
and although we only got to call him the vilest breed of pedophile legally for a bit over 12 months,
I think we can legally refer to him as The Archbishop formerly known as the vilest breed of pedophile,
till the end of his days?
and illegally, at the pub, at dinner parties, wherever and to whoever will or won't listen, we can call him what he is.
I know I will be.
they will be inconsolable. But a tiny consolation is,
that a man of Pell's ego and age, the reputational, physical and psychological toll of a year in prison
would be like 20 years.
and although we only got to call him the vilest breed of pedophile legally for a bit over 12 months,
I think we can legally refer to him as The Archbishop formerly known as the vilest breed of pedophile,
till the end of his days?
and illegally, at the pub, at dinner parties, wherever and to whoever will or won't listen, we can call him what he is.
I know I will be.
LTRTR - I have trouble with the view that a single uncorroborated witness can’t have a voice and be heard and believed. I reckon this implies status quo in all power relationships, whether it is father/uncle - child, teacher - student, male - female, clergy - congregation, employer - employee etc.
The powerless remain powerless and those in control get away with murder regardless of your view of the Pell case.
The witness was heard and believed by the jury. Evidence on Pell's behalf was heard and presumably believed by the jury since it went unchallenged, even though it conflicted with the witness's evidence. This led to the appeal finding of an unsound verdict.
Two different stories can't both be the truth.
Er, no. To be acquitted means you revert back to the state you were in before the charges were laid. i.e. Innocent.
I concur on this mate.
I am far from a Dan Andrews fan, however that was a well said statement for all victims of these abhorrent practices.
I dont know if he (Pell) was guilty or not, but for all victims of those crimes it was timely.
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People can draw their own conclusions on him but there are many stories about Pell over a long time which have enormous similarities. Almost all involve water I.e. showers or swimming pools. Revelation mentions a couple of them.
No matter what he did or didn’t do one thing that he is definitely guilty of is ignoring victims and abetting abusers and their continuing abuse. His role over many years in protection of abusing priests cannot be defended and his continual denials and blaming of others is disgusting.
No matter what he did or didn’t do one thing that he is definitely guilty of is ignoring victims and abetting abusers and their continuing abuse. His role over many years in protection of abusing priests cannot be defended and his continual denials and blaming of others is disgusting.
This Priest might get a rap on the knuckles.
Cardinal George Pell Judgement
Earlier this morning Cardinal George Pell was freed from prison. This might be an enormous relief to the man himself, although life on the outside will not be simple. There will be church goers who will feel vindicated. I don’t share their relief.
The High Court’s decision is already seeming to be deeply hurtful for many people. Abused now-adult children and their parents will have wanted him guilty. The twitterverse wanted him guilty. George’s growing number of accusers will have wanted him guilty.
I have confidence in Australia’s justice system. That a man can go from guilty to two thirds guilty to not guilty at all befuddles me, but there are checks and balances. I can only assume that the people entrusted with sitting on the bench of the High Court are the wisest of heads. All respect to those women and men.
What of those who are left behind by this morning’s decision? I like this from Louise Milligan today: “Decent Australians will think with kindness today of vulnerable men who were brave.” Yes, we will think with kindness and we will commit that this will not happen to their children and grandchildren.
My concern is less about what happens to Catholic clergy in the courts and more with what happens for the thousands of people we broke. We broke them because we thought that illegal rape was only immoral. We broke them because we were immature in so many ways, and then were vested with a dysfunctionally isolated authority. Nobody questioned the priests.
This, from “Spotlight,” the 2015 Boston church abuse movie: “If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one." Thousands and thousands of children were raped because a catastrophic failure of culture and leadership allowed and even fostered it to happen. The men at all levels of Church leadership were (are) those least likely to be relationally mature. I recall a priest in a neighbouring parish not coming for dinner because there would be two women (teachers from school) at the table. Nobody ever questioned that dysfunction. How could he run a parish?
So, yes, decent Australians will think with kindness today. We will be aghast that kindness didn’t dwell where it should have. We will stand beside every person (a lot of women do this in their own search for justice) who accuses truthfully but without evidence.
Fr Andrew Hayes
Parish Priest
St Mary’s Ararat and St Patrick’s Stawell
