Cardinal Pell Sentenced!
Today, 13/3/2018, Cardinal Pell received a maximum sentence of six years for the sexual abuse of two teenage boys, after Sunday mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1966. He will be eligible for parole in three years and eight months.
While handing down the sentence Chief Judge Peter Kidd said Pell been “breathtakingly arrogant” and “brazen and callous” in his offending.
That Australia’s most senior Catholic leader has been found guilty of child sexual assault astounds me. No longer is the Catholic church successful at covering up its heinous deeds.
Pell will, of course, make an appeal.
Take care of Yourself and others
Australia media is inundated with this news of this case and undoubtedly survivors of child sexual abuse will be triggered. Some ideas for caring for yourself and others can be found here: Taking care of yourself (or a loved one) in the wake of George Pell’s conviction
Survivors and Solicitors
Pell is now guilty and imprisoned. It’s likely that others who have been sexually abused as children, and who have remained silent, may now be considering legal action against their perpetrators. Before you embark on a marathon legal journey, read Survivors and Solicitors, and make sure you have a strong team with you.
Original Post 8 May 2018.
Cardinal George Pell, Australia’s most senior Catholic leader, was committed to stand trial for historic child sexual offences last week. He is currently on leave from his role as treasurer of the Vatican and the Holy See. The Holy See is the central governing body of the entire Roman Catholic Church and operates from within the Vatican City. The Vatican City is an independent state located on Vatican Hill in Rome. This high-ranking position puts Cardinal Pell third in charge after the Pope – that’s a position that wields a lot of power and controls a lot of money.
After two months of deliberation, Magistrate Belinda Wallington ruled, on 1 May 2018, thatthere is enough evidence to commit Cardinal Pell to stand trial on about half of the offences he was charged with. I rejoiced at this news, and so did my friend who had never been able to bring the Catholic priests who abused her to trial. Like many victims, she could not afford legal representation, was uneducated and so traumatised that she didn’t have the wherewithal to mount an attack against the power of the Catholic church. It’s refreshing to see victims succeed in bringing historic child sexual abuse cases to trial. It makes the world seem a little more just.
Now I know that George Pell is not being tried for all the sins of the Catholic Church, and I hope that he has a fair trial. I want that for all Australians. I understand that there will be two trials, one for alleged offences in the 1970’s and another for alleged offences in the 1990’s. There will be a media blackout until the second trial is completed, so the second trial is not influenced by matters of the first. I’m not sure how complete a blackout can be in this digital age. Cardinal – The Rise and Fall of George Pell by Louise Milligan, while banned in the state of Victoria is still available to purchase online. You can also purchase Test Everything: Hold Fast to What is Good, by Cardinal George Pell.
I understand that the Vatican is not financing Cardinal Pell’s defence, however ads have appeared in Catholic websites around the world, asking for money to support Cardinal Pell. I found this one from St Augustine’s, Maryborough on 13 August 2017.
CARDINAL PELL SUPPORT FUND. The Catholic Church is not funding Cardinal Pell’s court expenses. So that he doesn’t need to turn to Legal Aid = taxpayer funding and responding to requests from people to assist with his legal expenses, his solicitors have a Trust Account that donations can be made to. Contact the parish office or Fr John if you wish to contribute to this.
Cardinal Pell is defended by Robert Richter, Barrister, who has been described by Tim Elliot of the Sydney Morning Herald as “Australia’s foremost criminal defence counsel, feted for his forensic intellect and courtroom advocacy”. I’m guessing his fee doesn’t come cheap, so seems like the parish ads are working. Lucky Cardinal Pell.
My friend and other ex-residents of the Catholic operated St Joseph’s Orphanage, attempted to prosecute priests for historic child sexual abuse. She wishes the Catholic church would have run parish ads for their financial support. Come to think of it, that would help her right now.
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You have highlighted one of the major injustices that beset people. Those that are ill treated, are poor or lacking confidence seem to be either disbelieved or discredited whilst the “pillars of society” seem to gain more than their share of luck and largesse. I only hope that justice is done in this case as the abuse must have been known about as well as covered up.
Thank you. It’s often a David and Goliath story when fighting the “pillars of society”
So sad that money plays part in justice. I am constantly sickened by our legal system. Just today I read about a policeman who killed his newborn son and received a 9 year jail term. Who knows how many of those years he’ll even serve?
I truly hope your beautiful friend finds some peace in the fact she is not alone and this awful man will be made to face up to his crimes. I hope the court process is kind to the victims over the next months. Thanks Anne.
Vanessa
I too hope the court process will be kind to the victims of the next few months. We can all hope.