Cardinal George Pell: Vatican treasurer found guilty of child sexual assault

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: The Guardian

Cardinal George Pell, once the third most powerful man in the Vatican and Australia’s most senior Catholic, has been found guilty of child sexual abuse after a trial in Melbourne.

A jury delivered the unanimous verdict on 11 December in Melbourne’s county court, but the result was subject to a suppression order and could not be reported until now.

A previous trial on the same five charges, which began in August, resulted in a hung jury, leading to a retrial.

Pell, who is on leave from his role in Rome as Vatican treasurer, was found guilty of sexually penetrating a child under the age of 16 as well as four charges of an indecent act with a child under the age of 16. The offences occurred in December 1996 and early 1997 at St Patrick’s Cathedral, months after Pell was inaugurated as archbishop of Melbourne.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/feb/26/cardinal-george-pell-vatican-treasurer-found-guilty-of-child-sexual-assault

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

1. Lock him up!

[Aussie105]

2. Highest ranking clergy member . . .

to be tried in a civil court.

He was involved in covering up abuse by other clergy, but it turns out he was doing it too.

The Church's representative, Pell, tried to deal with victim reporting internally over many years, but often victims are hushed up and the offending clergy moved elsewhere.

Sad state for the Church. Who is going to look at an older male clergy member and NOT wonder if he can be trusted, or what he has been up to?

Sad state for older males in professions where they interact with young people, really.

[canetoad]

3. Good

I was always suspicious about his 'sideways' promotion from Archbishop of Sydney to the Vatican. He was Archbishop of Melbourne prior to Sydney.

[Canoe52]

4. and the cardinals were just saying it's all the fault of the "homosexual agenda"?

If this isn't a pedophile ring, somebody tell me, what is it?

[GulfCoast66]

5. When will society admit that when you tell millions of people that god thinks sex is evil,

And ask people to live a life without it while putting them in positions of incredible power, some bad shit is going to happen?

Even the crazy group I grew up in, Southern Baptist, who allow their clergy to have sex are reaping the results of putting men in this kind of powerful position.

If your fake religion tells you women and children are inferior don’t be suprised when women and children are exploited.

[nitpicker]

6. Link to DW

https://www.dw.com/en/top-vatican-cleric-cardinal-george-pell-convicted-of-child-sex-crimes/a-47688228

[Aussie105]

7. Religion

as a whole has a credibility and relevance problem. Especially to the younger generation, who choose to work out their own rules for living their lives, not adopt a prepackaged set provided by their elders.

There is nothing wrong with religion as such. As long as you keep your beliefs and faith to yourself.

As soon as you get a bunch of people together who purport to know all the rules others should live by, and have no method of self monitoring and correcting any drift from the basic humanitarian tenets of their faith, things can go wrong.

It's exploitation of those who are deemed to be weaker by those who should know better.

There is no other word for it.

May they repent in jail.

[Evergreen Emerald]

8. Time for a cleansing of the temple.

What is wrong with these people? Why is it child sexual assault so prevalent in the Catholic church?

And, I think God would want cleansing of the temple. I am sure, he is mortified by the lack of action against these vile people hiding themselves under the cover of religion.

[Eugene]

9. Vatican to await George Pell appeal before taking any action

Source: The Guardian

Vatican to await George Pell appeal before taking any action

Close associate of Pope Francis faces jail sentence for child sexual abuse crimes

Angela Giuffrida in Rome, and Harriet Sherwood Religion correspondent
Tue 26 Feb 2019 18.00 GMT

The Catholic church’s already shaky credibility on sexual abuse was dealt another hammer blow on Tuesday, with its third most powerful figure and a close associate of Pope Francis facing a jail sentence for crimes committed against two choirboys in the 1990s.

The news that Cardinal George Pell – who until the weekend was in charge of the Holy See’s finances and of rooting out corruption at the heart of the church – had been found guilty on five charges of sexual abuse was painful and shocking, said the Vatican.

But survivors and activists were enraged at the church’s decision not to strip Pell of his position as a cardinal, at least until the judicial process was exhausted.

Pell, 77, has said he will appeal against the conviction, for which he will be sentenced on Wednesday. He is expected to face a prison term.

The Vatican said the disgraced prelate had “reiterated his innocence and has the right to defend himself to the last degree”. In the meantime, a ban on Pell exercising ministry or having contact with minors would remain in place.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/feb/26/george-pell-vatican-no-action-until-appeal-is-over