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the George Pell saga
George's goodbye - A Saint and seeker of truth
February 03, 2023
275 priests and 75 seminarians led the processional
"..this soldier for truth.."
“made a scapegoat for the church itself”
a “modern-day crucifixion”
“He should not have been charged in the absence of corroborating evidence .."
Tony Abbot
“404 days spent in prison for a crime he did not commit”
The archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher
♦ www.theguardian.com
They all do it, the Jesuits do it, praise the deceased and deny and ignore the dark side.
All the little soldiers fall in line, 350 of them.
They are being taught and shown that the reputation of the church and its members is still more important than the truth.
As followers of Christ they should be ashamed of themselves for paticipating in this "priest washing".
Pell's creation of the Melbourne Response illustrates his black heart.
No empathy, pay them a pittance and get rid of them.
As Saint George Pell and his lawyers said , you can't sue us (the catholic church) because we don't exist.
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Jesus - Sermon on the mount
October 14, 2021
Row at Oxford over lecture invite to Cardinal Pell
The University of Oxford’s Catholic student society has invited Cardinal George Pell to give its prestigious annual lecture,
attracting both praise and criticism from within Oxford’s Catholic community.
Cardinal Pell, formerly Archbishop of Sydney and Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy from 2014 to 2019,
will be giving the Newman Society’s annual Thomas More lecture, which is this year entitled “The Suffering Church in a Post-Christian Society”.
She pointed to the 2017 finding by Australia's royal commission into child sexual abuse:
“Cardinal Pell was not only conscious of child sexual abuse by clergy, but he also considered measures
of avoiding situations which might provoke gossip about it.” Perry said she was “stunned” by the society’s choice of lecturer.
In a statement, the Newman Society said that it shares “the pain of those protesting”, as well as the goal of ending the “scourge of sexual abuse” within the Church.
This goal, however, derives from a principle, justice, that impels the fair treatment of the innocent ,just as it does the punishment of the guilty, the society added.
♦ www.thetablet.co.uk
December 17, 2020
Pell speaks out about prison, Trump, and the role of a retired pope
ROME – At the virtual launch of his new book, Cardinal George Pell opened up about what his time in prison before acquitted of charges of sexual abuse was like, and he also offered an evaluation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s time in office as well as the need for a set of clear rules when a pope retires.
Speaking to journalists during a Dec. 16 virtual press conference of his book, Prison Journal, detailing the first five months in jail, Pell said he decided to write the book in part as a “historical record of a strange time,” but more importantly, because “I felt my reflections might be able to help people.”
In 2017, Pell, who was serving as head of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy and a top papal advisor, became the most senior Catholic official to be charged with sexual abuse when he was accused of molesting two choirboys in the sacristy of the Melbourne cathedral in the 1990s, shortly after Pell had been named archbishop.
A first trial ended in a hung jury; however, a second jury unanimously convicted him in December 2018. This conviction was upheld on appeal, but eventually overturned by Australia’s High Court, allowing Pell to walk free in April after spending 404 days behind bars.
In his journal, Pell reflects on the events and encounters of each day, including the day-by-day developments of his legal case, as well as his spiritual readings and prayers, applying them to his situation, which he viewed as an “extended retreat” and a time to devote to prayer and reading.
Speaking of his experience in prison, Pell said that “God writes straight in crooked lines.”
“I still regret that it happened, I wouldn’t have chosen it,” he said, “but there I was, and please God, I did my duty, while I was in jail, I did my Christian duty and some good, some fruit, might come out through this.”
Asked whether he believed the case against him was contrived or simply just sloppy police work, Pell said he believes “very possibly there’s a bit of both in the matter.”
Pell said he has heard rumors that the prosecutors in the case did not consent to bringing the charges against him forward, but the police did anyway.
“There’s even gossip floating around that the prosecutors suggested the police pay for the motion themselves, and not the prosecutor’s office,” he said, adding that while he does not know whether this is true, “things were sloppy at best.”
In the past, Pell has suggested that his legal woes were possibly linked to this effort to clean up the Vatican’s finances while serving as its economic czar. During his time in that post, he often clashed with the Vatican’s so-called old guard, his most fierce opponent being the then-number three official in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, Cardinal Angelo Becciu.
Becciu has since been ousted from his post as head of the Vatican’s department for saints over charges of embezzlement. There is currently no known investigation into the allegations, however, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera in recent months issued speculative reports saying a sum of roughly $823,000 in Vatican money had been wired to an account in Australia, questioning whether the funds were tied to Pell’s abuse trial.
In his comments to journalists, Pell said he does not have proof that there is a connection.
“What I think we can say,” he said, “is that one of the monsignors who has been in the Roman papers has said he’s seen evidence of money going to Rome, and I myself am quite confident that money did go from Rome to Australia about that time, but I’ve got no proof about where it ended up.”
There’s smoke, he said, “but we don’t have proof of fire.”
Pell returned to Rome in September to pack up his old apartment, which he maintained throughout his legal proceedings, but which had been left untouched since his departure in 2017.
In the roughly two months that he’s been here, Pell said he has met with several people, including retired pope Benedict XVI and his successor as prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, Spanish Jesuit Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, whom he said seemed “capable and honest.”
“I hope he will receive all the support necessary,” he said, speaking of Guerrero Alves. Pell stressed that he has not met with Becciu, saying, “there wouldn’t be a lot to discuss between us.”
Pell stressed that as he is nearly 80, he has no intention of taking on further Vatican responsibilities, and nor does he plan to seek compensation for wrongful imprisonment, but intends to return to Australia to enjoy his retirement.
In his journal Pell also comments about the role of the pope emeritus, saying it should be “clarified.” Among the suggestions he made for a pope emeritus were that he should stop dressing in white, that he should not teach publicly, and that he should go back to using the title of “cardinal” instead of pope, to avoid any confusion.
Referring to these suggestions, Pell, a known conservative, said he respects Benedict XVI’s theological and doctrinal positions, and voiced hope that one day the retired pope will be named a saint and Doctor of the Church.
However, “for some years, years and years, I have thought the unity of the church is not something” to be taken lightly, he said, pointing to disagreements among some Orthodox churches.
“I have not met even one person in Rome who does not believe that protocols are needed for popes who retire,” he said.
“Obviously, many love the popes, we have great respect, but the necessity of the situation, the unity of the church, is on a different level which very much goes beyond a certain personality,” Pell said, insisting this is what inspired the reflections in his journal.
Pell also offered his evaluation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s single term in office, saying “he was a little bit of a barbarian, but he was our barbarian.”
Calling Trump a “controversial fellow,” Pell also praised certain moves Trump made, such as his Supreme Court appointments and his decision to participate in the annual March for Life.
“I’m grateful for that and I’m not one running around trying to damn his memory,” he said, adding, “In a democracy we Christians have got a right, and indeed an obligation, to struggle to maintain Christian values in life, because the moment they start to disappear, notions like truth and reason and free speech” also go away.
“On the whole I think Trump has made a positive contribution to the Christian cause, but in other areas, I’m not so sure he’s been sufficiently respectful of the political process,” Pell said, adding, “it’s no small thing to weaken trust in great public institutions.”
Despite the challenges of his legal battle, Pell said there were some silver linings, such as the numerous letters he received, the support from friends and family, and the change of pace from a busy cardinal’s life to a slower rhythm of prayer and reflection.
Noting that many supporters have voiced their belief that Pell was scapegoated for all of Australia’s clerical abuse scandals and the failure of the hierarchy to properly address the problem when abuse came to light, Pell said he’s “not at all comfortable in a hero’s role.”
“I tried to do my duty, and I was much heartened by the people,” he said, noting that while he was in prison, a fellow prisoner who was an atheist prayed for him.
Pell said he believed there were elements of “evil” behind his conviction, saying “the forces against me which were using deceptions or misapprehensions or creating confusion, enhancing obscurity.”
He said evil is “at the heart of the pedophilia crisis,” and is the ultimate cause of the suffering of “those who have abused, these young people, so very, very badly.”
Whether the Church is doing enough to help victims depends on the area, Pell said, voicing his belief that in Australia, “we’re moving along in the right direction.”
♦ cruxnow.com
George's martyrdom progress
(all we need is a miracle or two and we'll have a living saint)
George Pell tells Italian media there is 'some evidence but no proof' Vatican conspired against him
Comments are the strongest cardinal has made alleging abuse charges may be linked to Vatican corruption
Cardinal George Pell has told an Italian current affairs program that there is “some evidence but no proof” that the Vatican conspired to “destroy” him, the strongest comments he has made to date that allege the charges against him may be linked to Vatican corruption.
Pell is soon to publish a memoir of his time in jail, called “404 days”. Pell told Sette Storie he developed a daily routine while in jail.
“I tried to keep living,” he said. “The situation was horrible, I knew that I could appeal against the decision, that it did not end there. I also knew that if things had gone really bad in this life I could successfully argue my case before the good lord in the next life. But of course it was a big blow.”
♦ www.theguardian.com
The very strong defenders of George Pell
Ultra conservatives doing victory laps.
"He had been held captive for over 400 days. Against this, the three books about the Pell case already on the shelves remain festering there,
all of them written by Pell-hating, leftist feminists, without apology or modification. ".
"With Windschuttle’s book, George Pell’s enemies have now been laid bare, and their lies and evil intentions exposed.
That they all seem quite unapologetic (if sullen) about it will only further the ultimate disdain, indeed contempt,
with which they will forever be regarded by the children of the Light."
♦ The Persecution of George Pell - thefreedomsproject.com
George's rehab going well
All you abuse survivors out there turn your cheek for another hard slap from Papa Frank.
It does seem George's skills with politics and power are getting results.
Pope Francis is willing to ignore the many proofs and pointers to Pell being involved with covering up sex abuse, lying about it, treating survivors apallingly and that's enough even before the long list of sex abuse allegations against him.
If Francis can do that its proof he is not serious about sex abuse in his church and has no regard for the feelings of survivors.
Hand Washing or Social Distancing in the Time of Pell
By Gail Freyne | On 2 November 2020
The parish priest, Jorge Bergoglio could afford the luxury of welcoming with open arms an old colleague whom he believed to have been falsely accused of sexual abuse.
Even as Pope Francis he could have indulged himself with warm greetings in private.
But the public display in photographs and videos of unqualified acceptance – most headlines have called it vindication – has profoundly dismayed thousands of survivors and their families around the world.
♦ johnmenadue.com
October 19, 2020
George Pell holds public mass in Rome for 10th anniversary of Mother Mary MacKillop’s canonisation
George Pell has conducted a public mass in Rome celebrating the 10th anniversary of the canonisation of Mother Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first saint.
Cardinal Pell held the service over the weekend in the chapel of Domus Australia, near Porta Pia, in the presence of former prime minister Tony Abbott (St.Ignatius, Riverview) and dignitaries including the US ambassador to the Holy See, Callista Gingrich, and her husband, the US Republican politician and former speaker of the US House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich.
During the Mass, a prayer was said for Tim Fischer (Xavier College) , the former deputy prime minister and leader of the National Party who oversaw the canonisation of Mother Mary MacKillop when he was Australia’s representative to the Holy See.
♦ www.theaustralian.com.au
October 23, 2020: Victoria police won't investigate claims of Vatican money transfers to Australia linked to Pell case
Victoria police has confirmed being made aware of payments from the Vatican to Australia, but says that without evidence of “suspicious activity” it is not investigating them.
On Tuesday, Australia’s financial crimes watchdog, Austrac, revealed it had provided information to the federal and Victorian police after it was asked to examine allegations that €700,000 (A$1.1m) had been paid from Vatican funds, allegedly in connection with George Pell’s court matters.
On Friday, a Victoria police spokeswoman told Guardian Australia: “Austrac has made Victoria police aware of transfer of monies from the Vatican over a period of time to Australia.”
“They have not advised Victoria police of any suspicious activity related to these transactions,” she said. “In the absence of any other evidence or intelligence, Victoria police has noted the advice from Austrac. We are not at this time conducting any further investigation.”
♦ www.theguardian.com
An apology from George Pell and a Deed of Release from Richard Leder of Corrs Chambers Westgarth lawyers to a woman in 1999. She received $30,000.
Click on image to enlarge.
