I’m sorry to be a stickler, “sexual assault” is the incorrect spelling of “rape.” Can we please start using the correct term for child rape?
4
He may find solace in his punishment.
Meanwhile, back at the Vatican....
3
He's going to prison?
I never thought I'd see this day.
What will come next....
2
Note to defenders of Cardinal Pell
- Pell tolerated paedophiles
- Pell befriended paedophiles (like George Risdon)
- Pell set up a fake fund to pretend to compensate victims
- Pell made dioceses go broke to avoid paying compensation to victims
- Many people have accused Pell
- Denial has made the Church more evil
- You were not at the closed court
4
the evidence against him as presented in the feb national review summation does not seem to support the beyond reasonable doubt standard
3
And all the uproar from the Church about Pete Davidson's skit on SNL?
Only six years for what he did. That is disgusting.
3
The Catholic church in Australia (and everywhere) needs to be called to account for condoning sexual abuse and by not confronting it transparently. The associated pain has ravaged many people over many generations. The church has had decades to do deal with this openly through its school and parish networks. Instead it has done its best to hide the truth. I feel that ordinary Catholics need to stand up and demand the Church confronts the issues at hand. The Church lost moral legitimacy long ago with many younger generations but now they are endangering the legitimacy of their educational system and its survival - that is if parents begin to demand proper action on this issue.
19
@Sukoro
OK that I agree with that but please tell me the evidence presented in court that proved this beyond a reasonable doubt, not that some kid said so, or a list of stuff the jury didn't hear.
4
I think "The sentence, falling far short of the 50-year maximum." is in need of quite a bit of context of Australian law and sentencing guidelines. Yes the maximum sentence for each count is 10 years, however- only a very small percentage of offenders ever get the maximum sentence for these crimes. In fact the vast majority get 2-4 years only for similar crimes. Plus most charges are almost always served concurrently in Australia as Judge Kidd justified in his sentencing, therefore the maximum sentence being 50 years would never of been handed down isn't exactly an accurate statement within the context of how sentencing works in Australia and the precedence for that sentencing. If Kidd had handed down 10 years for each change, to be served cumulatively - Pell would have very significant grounds to appeal that the 50 years is unjustified based on the sentencing of similar crimes in the past.
12
I watched the sentencing live on TV. I could have been 10 years for each of the 5 offences. The main was 4 years, two were 2.5 years the others less. Parts of the lesser were cumulative adding to a total of 6 years with a non parole of 3 years 8 months. Consideration was given to his age, otherwise good record and standing, also the impact on his reputation given his position prior as 3IC in the Catholic Church. Frightening when you think he could have been Pope. There is the real prospect that he may die in jail.
I'm not a Catholic, but the parishioners Catholic Church here are traumatised, as for the Church itself they still don't get it, and until such time that they do and stop protecting perpetrators, or their edifaces they won't. What will Rome do, sit there and continue to look at their collective navels, will they defrock Pell.
22
The timing of this case and the screening of Leaving Neverland in Australia last weekend should not be ignored.
Yes, Pell got off lighter than his victims but what the survivors (and deceased) in both case's have mainstreamed is the impact of childhood abuse on a child to adult victim. For the act of speaking out while managing the symptoms of trauma - these men in such high profile cases show steel plated courage, and we should be forever grateful.
As a childhood trauma specialist, I've long tired of those who question the general validity of such 'stories'. Yes, cases must absolutely go through legal systems to see justice served. However the amplified voices coming out of mainstream and social media - 'why didn't the victims come forward before' ' they're just after money' ' their story has changed'... goes to show just how far away we are from culturally understanding. Childhood trauma leaves an indelible and highly individualised mark of those who experience it. Its high time the 'S'cience regarding the impact of childhood trauma lead cultural change. Not only in preventatively but so that every child and adult survivor are listened to without public contempt, have their chance to seek justice and regain their voice's lost in a firestorm of power and perversion.
34
At the word of one person it could be fact, then again it could be a fictional story. There is a possible pattern of behavior, but that evidence was not admitted. If we aren't told how the court separate fact from fiction then will anyone risk being youth leader in Australia, where it seems, a couple of kids could make up a story and put you in jail for up to 50 years. Not that I'm saying that happened in this case, but it seems it could happen.
2
Tonight George Pell is in jail. There has been an onslaught here from the establishment (including former Prime Minister John Howard) & many influential journo’s from the mighty Murdoch press, declaring Pell’s innocence, even though they did not sit thru the trial or hear the evidence. For the sake of all child victims of sexual abuse, everywhere, when are adults going to believe a child? There is so often no witnesses to these crimes. Why is it so difficult for those doubters to believe Pell is guilty? Every time an adult declares the innocence of a convicted paedophile, you silence victims. Enough!
3
It’s sad and apparently there’s, externally at least, repentance and humility in his eyes but he had to face the Justice and that’s a good thing. There was clear abuse of authority, age and rank in his case, and, admittedly, sequels in the victims. Sad that he had to hide for years his sexual orientation, and deviation. A lesson for the Church. Sexuality, created by God, is a strong sign of life anyway but has to be much more educated, openly in society, let’s just remember the #metoo screaming. But doesn’t have to be demonized either. Let’s hope the Church will be a leader in these matters...
No defrocking, no excommunication.
''Pell was in the conclave that elected him and remains eligible for any potential future conclave until age 80 or unless he is removed.'' WaPo 3/13 19
Business as usual in the Catholic Church.
1
Why is it that the Catholic Church holds summits on sexual abuse. Why aren't they just calling the cops?
2
Amazing. If he had been a person of color and/or not some ranking church executive, he would have gotten 20-life without a second thought.
Given the pain he's caused, he doesn't deserve the kind of hand-wringing concern about his age or church rank. If anything else, he ought to be held to a much higher standard.
Too bad we didn't do the same to Bernard Law of Boston, before he fled to Rome to his cushy retirement.
5
Anyone who looks honestly at the facts in question would conclude that Cardinal Pell is innocent, as he maintains. Let us pray that the appeals court will be unswayed by public opinion and the "free press" as was (obviously) the second jury (after the first voted 10-2 to exonerate), and free him. Sorry, there are lots of clerics who are guilty; Cardinal Pell is not one of them.
3
1) People who live in glass houses ought not to throw stones.
2) Why do you complain about the speck in your neighbor's eye when a log is stuck in your own?
3) Judge not lest you be judged.
The Roman Catholic Church has been warned, and warned, and warned to stop treating boys and girls bodies as theirs to control. My body, my choice. The job of the priesthood is to serve, not to be serviced by the flock. Now is the time for the world wide church to demand a council along the lines of Vatican 2 to address these and other issues which have destroyed the credibility of Church leadership.
1
@JohnMcFeely I don't know what you are trying to say. Do you or do you not feel that this man is guilty? I am confused by the 3 statements you make and then the statement of the RCC being warned. Pell was judged by a secular court of law because he "violated" two young boys who were in the care of a man of God. He deserves to be in jail by virtue of man's law because the Church did not see fit to oust him when they knew about what he did in the 60s and 70s. The amount of long-lasting pain and psychological damage to the victims will never make up for nor compare to anything that Vatican 2 or any council could address to restore the credibility of the Church leadership; that is gone unless they truly clean house and sincerely go to confession themselves.
And the victims are sentenced to life.
As a victim of a religious abuser I can tell you the crime may as well be premeditated murder. The suffering and endless trails of misery all go back to that moment when my childhood was raped from me and most of the normalcy of my future as well.
Six years?
I wish I had been able to forget what happened to me after six years. But forty years later the wound is as fresh as the day I was led to the slaughter.
9
There does seem to be some doubt as to the guilty verdict of Cardinal Pell. The first trial ended in a mistrial but the second he was found guilty. One of the boys who accused Cardinal Pell of sexual abuse told his mother before his death that these crimes against him never occurred. Is it possible that these boys were retaliating against the Cardinal because he called them out for sneaking into the sacristy?
Cardinal Pell claims his innocence and it could very well be he is telling the truth. They may have been determined to convict him at all costs. There are people who are standing behind him proclaiming his innocence. When Cardinal McCarrick was found guilty, he had not one person behind him because they knew he had committed these crimes. There is some level of doubt and this needs to be further investigated. This may be a witch hunt against an honest priest and if so this is abominable. There needs to be further investigations to be doubly sure. Of course, there are priests who are guilty of horrible crimes but not all. Let's make sure we are convicting the right ones. Hopefully the truth will prevail.
6
I believe the boys, now men.
Pell is innocent ... maybe according to the Bible which does not consider raping children a crime or a sin. Strange how god “forgot” to include that minor detail but did not forget to important ones like banning consumption of pork and shellfish.
3
About the Bible, let’s not forget that the Judeo-Christian tradition is patriarchal in origin.
Let’s see: If I were to sexually molest a child, I would be thrown under the jail for decades, as I should be. But if I did it while wearing a priest’s collar... I would just get transferred to another location where I can find new victims. That is so absurd, contrary to Catholic teachings and all sense of decency. Yet this went on for generations.
If only the Catholic Church faced truth and reality ages ago, this would have not gotten to this point. This is another tragic lesson that running away from the truth will lead you into a brick wall. It has to end at some point and all that you have run from will finally catch up to you.
3
I think the most profound thing I gleaned from the movie Spotlight that won an Oscar a while ago was the fact that the investigation revealed that approximately 9% of the clergy were sexually abusive toward children, and the vast majority were young boys.
I watched the Michael Jackson movie a week ago and the most bone chilling thing to me was to think that that the Australian -Wade Robson was only 7 years old when the sexual abuse started. Think about that....7 years old. He probably just learned to read a year ago and still believed in Santa at the time but from 7-11 years of age he was sexually abused by what was his idol and every night he was subjected to this weirdo and porn every night they were together. How on earth did he keep it together to this day is beyond me.
My heart goes out to all these kids who were sexually abused by priests from the Catholic Church. It’s unbelievable that the one institution that you would think were the healthiest influence on your family, the church that teaches the gospel of God and Jesus have in their boys club about 10% of the monsters that keep parents up at night.
It’s just unbelievable that this has been going on for so long.
4
I wonder what the over/under is on his life expectancy in prison is?
John Geoghan made it a whole year before he was murdered.
1
When the Vatican knows that hundreds of priests who are still living have abused children, why is it that this information is not turned over to the authorities so that these wolves in sheep's clothing are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law? That's precisely what happens to child molesters outside of the Church. Why shouldn't the same fate befall those within it?
2
Let's cut to the chase: it's time to open the priesthood to married men - and to women. This horrible series of episodes damaging the Church is absolutely a self-inflicted wound.
1
Six years? Only six years? Six years after what this man did to those boys? Those boys who have had to deal with the ramifications of that sexual abuse since 1996? That is not an acceptable penalty. That is unconscionable.
29
If Australia has the guts to stand up to The Catholic Church and criminally prosecute Bishops and higher, so can the USA!
8
Hardly long enough for such evil, destructive acts of individuals life’s, all for his and other Catholic leaders greed.
This structure - that hides behind a concept of religion.....has acted in almost any way “it” wanted to & could, through centuries in its greed and evil.
1
Cardinal Pell gets six years, a mere slap on the wrist. Meanwhile, his victims will spend a lifetime attempting to recover from the pain and suffering of the abuse Pell inflicted upon them. A shameful miscarriage of justice.
3
Sounds like a touching story.
2
The Vatican has softened, there is no court ecclesiastical for this Cardinal.
Call the cops, period. None of this defrocking stuff.
2
Bravo for secular society finally taking a stand against those who cloak their crimes in the robes of deism. Perhaps their ‘god’ may forgive them their transgressions but society needn’t.
4
We seem to be hearing an awful lot of bad news lately about Australia’s lack of transparency in government, willingness to “protect” public fighters from the natural effects of thrusting themselves into the public eye...
This might be an age-old effect due to the reputations of the former British colony’s first Crown residents, those “transported for life” for crimes committed closer to Eurasia in lands under the old Empire, but, I have to wonder ...
In the opening chapters of “The Honourable Schoolboy” David Cornwall (John LeCarré), makes reference to Australia’s relatively open policy to press freedom in the early 1970s.
What has happened since then to make the Commonwealth land that ignored government “D-notices” ordering silence on matters of state so hyper-protective of judicial and prosecutorial secrecy and “privacy”, of the type American industrialist Armand Hammer attempted to invoke in a London courtroom against the American author of a biography he considered unflattering - a suit tossed out because the book, which never achieved best-seller status in the US, had only a handful of purchasers in the UK, ending Great Britain’s reputation of a place to sue if you suffered “invasion of privacy” by, in this case, reputable reporter and Journalism professor Steve Weinberg.
1
6 years is nothing to the harm done to child victims of rape, including the added emotional trauma the pain was inflicted by a man between that child and God.
1
Six years is nothing compared to the life sentence of trauma and shame he inflicted on his victims in the name of God.
1
“Judge Kidd implored the public to remember that Cardinal Pell was being sentenced only for the crimes he committed in 1996.”
Yeah well Al Capone was only put in jail for taxation offences.
1
Who covered up for Cardinal Pell?
They should be on trial as well. They should share the cell with him.
Those who cover up sexual assault have normalized sexual abuse by silencing the victims and emboldening offenders to perpetuate sexual assault.
They further breached trust in our justice system and infused perverted practices into our communities.
Therefore, cover ups of sexual assault in schools, workplace, anywhere should be a crime.
3
Only 6? If it weren’t in Australia i would had thought Judge T.S. Ellis was at the court room for this case.
1
Fascinating, isn't it, this person commits homosexual acts in private (he molested boys, not girls) and fights homosexuality in his public life. How can one live like this, in such an extreme state of split personality? This must be the case of most members of the Catholic church. There is something profoundly inhumane and cruel (not to mention unnecessary - just look at other religions) about the celibacy requirement.
3
Other than the one man's testimony recalling something 30 years ago, what is the evidence here? Or is this yet more anti-Catholic sentiment going too far? Present the evidence...
4
@Moral Compass The trial has already taken place. Perhaps you could look into what was presented there.
6
One of my acquaintances is an episcopal (anglican) priest, now retired who is openly gay but is very definite about not being attracted to boys.
With all modern and ancient scandals involving the RC church, even if he's not a member of that order, It is a very good attitude to have, as shown by this Pell story!
The fact that it took so long for justice to catch him renders judgment on the Roman Catholic Church along with public officials with criminal jurisdiction.
Pedophile rapist in positions of trust and power should be treated even more harshly in prosecution and sentencing. From parents to physicians to politicians to police to preachers to business executives to coaches and teachers they should be deterred and crushed to the maximum extent of the criminal justice system.
2
The Australian justice system has provided much needed leadership to the rest of the world. The Catholic Church has hidden these crimes - certainly for decades, probably centuries. The conviction of Pell is the tip of the iceberg. Their horrific crimes warrant many more convictions all the way to the Vatican. They need to be held to public account.
Besides his own heinous crimes, for years he was aware of how rampant child sexual abuse was among the clergy. Yet his response was to simply move perpetrators to a different diocese with fresh victims.
He received a character reference from two former Australian prime-ministers, many prominent conservative commentators called his conviction an outrageous miscarriage of justice and now he'll most likely be a free man in 3 years (or within months if his appeal succeeds). This all sends an extremely discouraging message to any other victims of the church's elite who were contemplating coming forward.
1
Seperate but related:
Wouldn't all societies benefit from true separation of faith and state/judiciary? faith - no absolutes, many sources of information. Judiciary - reality based, confirmable facts suitably tested as required?
When Pell came to Sydney to be archbishop someone told me a small clique of young priests he had as assistants were known in Melbourne,from whence he came. as The spice Girls. I felt that was a red flag.
1
Among my friends and acquaintances, I have come to learn in recent years who has been sexually abused as children. And it appears to me that each one of these people has developed into adults with serious issues of substance abuse and other mental health difficulties. That is what happens when a child is sexually abused: a damaged adult is born to the world. And that damage lasts a lifetime.
1
Accusations against Cardinal Pell go back to the the 1960's. His actions caught up to him, and now he's paying the consequences.
70
@Jane
Not much consequences! Six years with possible parole in about 4.
17
@Jane Short on facts there were no accusations made until police in Melbourne advertised for people to make complaints. I don't know whether he is guilty or not but based on the evidence and I have read the full transcript it is not surprising the first jury was 10 to 2 for not not guilty. The conviction was based on the events having occurred in a small room with an open door and not one other person in the church and people were moving around freely at the time saw anything happening. It came down to one person's word against another. All I know is if this is justice done we should be very afraid.
5
Progress is a tricky thing. There are two roads - slowly but surely, or fast, two steps forward, one step back with lots of resistance. Many views. Ultimately though progress always wins
Progress. But what about all of the senior official who covered up, accommodated, and facilitated these very same crimes? Individual abusers are analogous to illegal drug dealers on street corners, why should we only go after them? Shouldn't we also go after their big suppliers?
48
I am for full legal accountability for all adult perpetrators of abuse of minors and vulnerable adults especially by clergy. However, this case will likely be overturned on appeals. I ordinarily side with victims’ accounts especially with guilty verdicts. But having treated perpetrators of sexual abuse for over five years, the details as described by the court descriptions — not in this article — did not add up for me. Of two boys who were allegedly abused in this case that resulted in conviction — one victim denied to his parents that he had ever been abused before dying as an adult; the other victim alleges the sexual assault happened at a time and place that were extremely unlikely and happened without any prior grooming behavior. I would urge readers to check out others news sources. Again, having been sexually abused by clergy myself and having had family were abused by clergy, I am highly inclined to side with the victims. With details provided by the Court, this particular case just doesn’t add up for me.
37
@Garry You may be right, but it is no easy matter to overturn a jury verdict in Australia on the basis that they must have entertained a reasonable doubt as to the defendant's guilt.
Pell's conviction has raised eyebrows in legal circles here in Melbourne, but we did not see the accuser's evidence given, and we don't have access to videotape or transcript of it. 12 jurors who did see it given were persuaded of its truth, and that despite cross-examination by a highly skilled advocate for Pell, and also despite the fact that the prosecution called nearly 2 dozen witnesses, many of whose testimony tended to exculpate rather than incriminate. (Unlike US prosecutors, Australian prosecutors are bound to call all witnesses who can shed light on an issue, not just those whose testimony is directed towards conviction.)
75
@Garry
So _ instead of running away_ did the second boy just stand there and watch whilst the first one was being raped?
9
I don't know about the Australian system, but in America, "the jury got it wrong" is not grounds for an appeal. You need to show an improper and prejudicial ruling by the court or some kind of constitutional violation to win an appeal. The jury, not the appellate court, is the fact finder.
The jury decides guilt. The appellate court only determines whether the trial followed the rules and met constitutional requirements.
20
This is a very light sentence for heinous behavior, crimes against children, the Church, and G-d. Regardless of his age, a much longer sentence could have and should have been given to this shameful man. People receive longer sentences for much less serious crimes. They are not white, not of the clergy, and not friends with influential people. If he has not already been ex-communicated, he should be.
3
I thought he would get two years, actually, or less if they wanted to be lenient. To those who would have preferred a stiffer sentence, I would say that his sentence was at a sensible maximum according to the sentencing guidelines in Australia. He is a moral degenerate and deserved what he got, of course.
Referring to my previous post, thinking about the Catholic Church and its avarice, I am always reminded of what Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, said to his Chamberlain, “How this Jesus myth fills our coffers.”
5
Apparently Pell sat immoble and staring with pursed lips during the judges sentencing. Except when details of his offending were being described. He closed his eyes. He has turned a blind eye to the massive damage he inflicted on these boys lives. The church has and so have many others over many decades. The judge repeatedly noted Pell’s arrogance. Pell seemed like the statue of St Peter in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak, which has a plaque bearing Pell’s name. Stone. Like the Catholic Church has been for centuries. ( and I might say non-Catholic Churches as well). Well, these children’s minds, their development was not stone, but unmercifully smashed and sullied by this member of an organisation the seemingly stood for the opposite. The whole structure of Catholicism needs to go, and perhaps it might be rebuilt in a way that reflects the stories of it’s purported founder, Jesus, (if he existed)
3
I have met, and performed (music) for Cardinal Pell several times over the past decades. He was someone I would categorise as 'creepy', for what reason I could never quite place, but I never picked him as a 'rock spider' (what we Australians call pedophiles). Egotistical, selfish, self absorbed and misogynistic, sure, but not a rock spider.
To be honest, I think the circumstances of the actual crimes he has been committed of are extremely dodgy, as we Australians would say. I believe that he has been convicted not for the crimes implied in this case, but for representing the Church during a period where so many were protected for their crimes against young people. There's a lot of angry people here after the recent Royal Commission into Abuse, and Pell was clearly at the top of Church attempts to hush abuse on a massive scale across the country.
Having said that all, I have absolutely no sympathy for the man, and hope that he rots and dies in prison. Regardless of his guilt for these specific charges, if anyone needs to be held accountable for what the Church has done, or not done, as an institution in Australia over the years, it's Pell, and I would argue that there's not a lot of people here who would disagree.
3
Accountability, at long last. It is far past time. I am waiting for some American Cardinals to get jail sentences, instead of being awarded Vatican sinecures when their misdeeds have been exposed. The amorality and hypocrisy has been shocking and grotesque. Perhaps a tipping point has finally been reached.
32
@Mary O
Amorality and hypocrisy? I think that is not the question here. Anonymous accusers coming forward without evidence are immoral and hypocritical, not the man who stands up and declares he is innocent. Stop following the sheep and begin to ask questions about the hysteria of accusations in return for huge financial compensation.
@Mary O
Cardinal Law's punishment was to be given a life sentence in a Vatican Palace.
3
Any spiritual and moral authority is revoked. Not only that the abuse of innocents occurred on the scale that it has but also for the lack of response and on top of all this a concerted and knowledgeable coverup.
6
Sentence was too light me thinks. Abuse of trust / abuse of authority / quarterbacking the Church's obstruction of justice. 12 years minimum. Ask any randomised sample on an Australian street. Eight out of 10 would say the same. Justice system out of touch.
8
The case was only the tip of the Pell iceberg. Other men have made allegations, dating back to the 70s or earlier. Pell is where he belongs; where he's belonged for a long time.
11
Not long enough. It should have been life with no possibility of parole. Send a serious message.
8
Most people do not seem to realize that reporting of abuse of children, at least in the USA, was not mandated by law until the late 1970's in many states. Perhaps later than that in some states. Sexual abuse itself was a taboo subject which no one would talk about nor even mention. Police forces were mostly all male and had no sensibility or training for dealing with children. Children who were considered juvenile offenders were sent to reform schools. Any child who made any accusation against any adult would quite possibly be put in jeopardy of being accused of criminal activity and sent away. Girls who became pregnant after being raped were considered "loose" women and were sent to homes for unwed mothers to give birth, some were treated like prisoners. Society has changed for the better in this respect. To assume that priests were the only abusers of children is a naive assumption. Abusers were and are in all walks of life. Most will never be known and will not be brought to justice. Persons who are only seeking revenge against perpetrators will not find justice for the children who were abused. The greatest justice would be to prevent any additional abuse of children. The way to do that is to start with warning children and teaching them how to defend themselves. Police and caregivers of children need to be properly trained to help children recognize situations that might put them in harm's way. Children who speak up are the best defense and best preventive.
12
He will not do well in prison. There are few choir boys in prison, even an Aussie prison. Hopefully, he will be forced to watch the movie Spotlight repeatedly.
6
He'll be in protective custody in a minimum-security facility. It will be no tougher than the average monastery.
More interesting will be what Pope Francis does next. Pell will surely have to be defrocked, if only because it will be difficult for a convicted child-rapist to get back into Europe, even on a fancy Vatican official passport.
5
Given that stories of sexual impropriety have followed Pell for 50 years and a jury convicted on these charges, I believe he is guilty. Serving perhaps the rest of his life in jail is a just punishment.
It’s reprehensible for anyone to be sexually assaulted. But for a child to be assaulted by a cleric - a supposed representative of god - is also an attack on their faith and innocence. Absolutely horrible.
Is it known how the second victim died?
9
@Michael the young man who was the second victim became addicted to heroin within 12 months of the abuse occurring and died of an overdose a few years ago while aged in his thirties. This was a boy who underwent some sort of extreme personality change to the bafflement of his parents. It wasn't until after he died that hey discovered the truth. Heartbreaking.
4
@Joanna
Yes, that is heartbreaking.
1
@Michael
The second victim died several years ago of a heroin overdose, according to the CNN report. His father said his son began injecting heroin about age 14, about a year after the assault by Pell.
Pope Francis, it’s time. Open the records and end celebacy.
Mother Nature rules...
God is Mother Nature... and the myth department is closed for business.
Protect the children, for a change.
17
Methinks it is high time the Catholic church looked at its celibacy policy. When seminarians are preyed upon by their "superiors"/teachers...when nuns are violated sexually...when young children are assaulted by adults who they revere...something is dreadfully wrong and needs a course correction. Celibacy is not a natural state and is, perhaps, too much to ask for from clergy. Better to learn the profound lessons of relationships with other humans in addition to a relationship to God.
10
@Joan Erlanger . Someone told me a long time ago that celibacy was instituted as a cost saving measure, so the church would not have to support wives and children. If that is true, it's ridiculous. Why? so the Pope can have a castle, and Cardinals and Bishops can have lavish villas with staff and cooks. It's no wonder the parishioners are fleeing, with priest that cannot relate to the experience of living a normal life. As a young widow (31) with my 6 month old in a carriage, I went to my local parish to ask for a one year funeral mass to be said for my husband. The first words out of the priests mouth were how much was I planning to donate to the church? I was shocked at his insensitive and cruel remark. He didn't even ask about me and the baby. No compassion in his veins. No understanding of the human condition.
5
@Joan Erlanger "Better to learn the profound lessons of relationships with other humans in addition to a relationship to God." A thoughtful quote for the ages.
1
I got a better idea: Keep celibacy---its a symbol of the devote nature of the vocation---but allow women to be priests. Women are rarely sexual abusers, and there is no reason to suspect that they will be shielded from scrutiny and prosecution by a male hierarchy! And sooner or later, all the men in the hierarchy'll die out...
Despite the rather kid-glove approach to R. Kelly's dubious activities, Pete Davidson had it right on SNL. Of course, I have been sying this for years: Why do Catholics continue to tithe the church when their money is spent on lawsuits and high dollar damages for crimes committed by the very people who ask them for their money? I was asked by a fundraiser at the Jesuit university I went graduated from to give a donation and I said no. If Church money is being diverted to pay off lawsuits, why should I support Catholic education?
7
The Catholic Church is primarily a factory for child sexual abuse. It is also a reminder that while most people claim to detest child sexual abuse, that they are generally unwilling to give up their customs and traditions in order to see that child sexual abuse stops. If people really cared the churches would be empty and the entire organization would be forced to change tomorrow. There is abuse occurring today, at the hands of catholic priests, that could be stopped if enough Catholics acted. 6 years for Pell is a small fraction of what he deserves for the suffering he has caused and the crimes he has covered up.
17
And then there is this - perhaps the Cardinal will make a confession of his heinous sins against children, ask for God's forgiveness and for forgiveness from his victims. Then he might quietly go off to prison where he belongs, there to face his God and repent. Although it is unlikely this will ever happen, I am going to pray that it does. This evil must be routed out everywhere. Immediate referral to civil authority is the only appropriate action for the sexual abuse of a child, whomever is the alleged perpetrator. No passes for clergy or any one else.
5
6 years? What will 6 years do?
3
I would not be surprised if more priests met the fate of Mr. Capparelli.
Given the harm to children and the centuries of abuse of colonize peoples and women, these priests and the church are still getting off pretty light.
2
Unfortunately he still has the support of the countries biggest conservative pundits and 2 ex Prime Ministers. A real shame.
13
While I have no idea what happened in this particular case, I wonder what kind of evidence remains from unspecified allegations of misconduct that allegedly occurred in the 1990’s. No date, no eye witnesses,…he said, they said…
The pendulum has swung to the side of an allegation becoming tantamount to a conviction. Where is the beef?
Most likely the conviction will be overturned.
6
I wish our Justice Dept. would do the same to the likes of Chaput and Dolan, both of whom knew what was going on for decades and did nothing. Dolan hid millions of dollars from Victims in Milwaukee by moving funds into a Cemetery Account which was immune to lawsuits.
I want Bishops like Dolan and Chaput locked up by our legal system.
10
There are many reasons to dislike Pell - his cover up of sex abusing priests, his homophobia, his stance on women in the Church, among them.
But beware the pitchforks: the guilty verdict on these charges was based on almost no actual evidence, just testimony of one alleged victim, and with no witnesses of any kind.
Whatever the truth, one can cheer the "in kind" justice handed to a man with such a long history of causing pain. But it's not justice in the real sense.
4
@Sam, the evidence presented to the court was not made public, which is standard practice for sexual assault cases in NSW, I believe, and was enough for 12 jurors to convict Pell. The statement from the surviving victim advised that he was on the stand for several days, and subjected to significant testing by Pell's QC, who is one of Australia's best. So the jury were able to reach the verdict with the evidence they had in front of them.
As for the appeal, well, it will be a brave CoA that throws out a jury verdict...
5
The evidence of a victim given under oath is still “real” evidence. All evidence in a trial is given through sworn oral testimony. It may be that there are no other facts to corroborate that evidence. But, there may not be any other witnesses especially if there were only three people there, the perpetrator and the two victims and one of them has subsequently died (probably as a result of the trauma he suffered.) It is for the jury to decide if the victim’s testimony is credible and if they believe it beyond reasonable doubt they are entitled to convict. Three days on the stand being cross-examined by Robert Richter, would have been no picnic. There have always been whispers about Pell abusing children and covering up for other priests. This case is probably a drop in the ocean. The sentence today was conservative, but probably what I would have expected. I am not sure how the court can give weight to the years of “good service” given by a person who abused the power of that very position. However, I think the length of the sentence is secondary, it’s getting the actual conviction against Pell that really counts.
1
@Sam How many times do courts hear witness testimony of a sexual assault? It is usually a crime committed in private.
one day society will appreciate - as difficult as it is to accept - that paedophilia is hardwired into individuals, just as hetero and homo sexuality is in everyone else. this does not exculpate those who break the law; because even one of these episodes may affect the victim for life, and since the only practical remedy is self-control, a perpetrator's lack of restraint must be interdicted and punished. The ethical question to be considered is whether or not this predilection in itself , if not acted upon, is worthy of condemnation and incarceration.
3
I agree that it is more or less hardwired. I don’t think that that is really disputed. You need to lock them up forever to prevent harm to victims and to deter.
4
@kevin sullivan
Celibacy is celibacy, regardless of the fantasies of the compliant.
Finally, a predator priest put away. I have been wondering why the stories of molester priests only ended in their removal from their positions. Wholly inadequate and due to statutes of limitations that ignored the reality of victim psychology I have since learned.
But only six years? The types need to be removed from society for extended periods as a deterrent. Perhaps, they should take the cells vacated by the newly released non-violent drug offenders. Mass incarceration of pedophile priests may be a better use of the prison system rather than their patriarchal political buddies using it for racial control purposes.
8
After over 20 years of waiting, justice is slowly served. I would have thought his sentence would have been harsher, taking into account his power and authority. There are many ironies in Pell, a man who manages the Vatican's finances but takes such extreme risks in his personal life, a man who condemns homosexuality yet molests teenaged boys, a man who claims to be a shepherd yet denies protection to his flock.
It is also interesting to see the taking out of top Vatican personnel happening in Australia, about as far as you can get from Rome.
43
@gf, it was interesting listening to the judges sentencing remarks. He was very careful to frame his remarks, from the get go, on what he would look at, and what he would not, and to respond to all the forces being put upon the case.
2
'For the love of money is the root of all evil.' - Paul to Timothy.
The Church introduced clerical celibacy so that wealth would not be lost to wives and children, to accumulate wealth and power faster than otherwise.
And very successful the policy was, except that it turned the clerical orders of the Church into colleges of homosexuals; and with no natural breeding to replenish their ranks, corruption of youth to regenerate their society was the only other option.
There is an Irish film, Calvary, set in post-Church Ireland. It is a black comedy with a sad ending, and apposite this case. I recommend it.
6
@Pelasgus
Irrelevant, with all due respect. Pell has not been convicted of the crime of being a homosexual or of the crime of committing a homosexual act with a consenting adult.
Pell has been convicted on two counts of the sexual assault of a thirteen-year-old chorister, who was male because all choristers in that cathedral were boys at this time.
1
Thank God.
3
Victims of child abuse are inextricably and negatively affected for life, sometimes resulting in crippled and/or shortened lives.
So, despite what religious ideologies like Christianity might say, for such abuse there is no forgiveness for the transgressors. None. Never.
7
In the Bible it states that forgiveness occurs only when the perpetrator ask for forgiveness. If the person does not ask for forgiveness the victim is not obligated to forgive them. Many people take verses out of the Bible and misrepresent or just go on hearsay. Many Christians themselves do not even read the Bible for themselves. I would ask that you please look it up before generalizing about Christians because it’s a huge misrepresentation of the gospel.
3
@Dee - No, the Bible does NOT state what you say. I wish it did! What you've stated is more of a Jewish view of forgiveness; that the perpetrator must first ask before forgiveness is granted. But Jesus forgave those who nailed Him to the cross w/o them asking for forgiveness. His "7x70" quote did not require that the offender first ask forgiveness. He never taught that there was any requirement for repentance before one forgives.
2
Civil cases are also going to be laid against Pell. As is his Appeal.
He's not out of the woods just yet, more will come forward.
8
What one prominent lawyer in Perth thinks has the highest chance of success in appeal is the possibility that an unbiased jury, or jury member, could not have been selected.
Victorian law does not allow for a judge only trial, which would have been more suitable. Given the significant media focus on the subject of church abuse over the last several years including accusations against Pell than didn't stand up, there is a good chance that there is a decent proportion of the population that would have formed the opinion that he was guilty before hearing the evidence for this particular case.
6
@Jimmy He has been found guilty and sentenced. You don't want to accept he is guilty so make excuses and hang your hopes on an appeal. Stop enabling these people to commit and get away with crimes.
1
I was raised a Roman Catholic. My sisters, brother and their spouses are so devout they no longer take vacations, they take pilgrimages. This has created a divide between them and me: science fiction v science, that is heartbreaking because we love each other. Religion has divided us. How they or anyone else can even step foot into a church - unless observing the beauty of the architecture - is beyond my comprehension.
48
The sentence for this crime could be up to 50 years, and he gets 6 years with possibility of parole in less than 4 because what?
52
@Barbara, I don't think the 50 years possible sentence is accurate.
First, the sentence has to be based on what the sentences were legislated at the time of the offences 23 years ago.
Second, only only one of the offences attracted a 10 year sentence (at the time); the others would have been 5 years max.
Today the sentences for those same offences are somewhat higher, at least in Victoria.
Third, a judge does have to take the offender's age into account, that's the law. The judge would have to consider whether giving Pell longer sentences would effectively be a life sentence (and thus subject to appeal).
6
Agreed, this joke of a sentence amounts to a slap on the wrist... and a slap in the face to the victims.
6
@Barbara
Mainly because, rightly or wrongly, the criminal jurisdiction of the State of Victoria in Australia doesn't believe in locking up all convicted criminals effectively for life like most of you Yanks do. In Oz, only a person who is a serial child abductor, child rapist and child murderer gets the sort of lengthy prison sentence you think Pell should have got.
1
I just will never fathom how an adult , one in a role of moral authority no less, could abuse a child. It is incomprehensible.
34
The problem is that they’re not really adults. They’re afflicted by arrested development, in an organization that halts their progress as members of society by denying them the same experiences as the rest of us, teaching them that they’re not permitted to entertain or indulge their sexual urges, while putting them in a falsely superior moral position of infallibility.
And then, short-circuited and deranged, they find a way to safely find release by abusing weaker, younger and impressionable people, threatening them with shame and damnation should they speak out.
AND THEN, they’re protected by the church mafia, shuffled around from parish to parish, without punishment or consequence because somewhere at the highest levels they know that they’ve created these monsters with these insane rules of celibacy. But to change the rules, allow them to marry and have children of their own, without contraception to limit their families, well, the church could never afford it, could they? Each priest with a wife and 8 kids? Who’s going to foot the bill for all of that food, clothing, education, insurance?
It’s a racket. It’s destroyed countless lives. And it’s time for it all to be done.
What a mess.
12
Why have the faithful been so complacent and so willing to believe in the "greater good of the church" while sacrificing children and others to preying clergy? Where are the protests, demonstrations, demands by the laity? The same can be said for the duped believers who follow the Pied Piper Trump and give him a pass on all their biblical commandments.
36
@Baba,
I don't know about the latest figures for the U.S. but in Australia 90% of Catholics have now exited the pews. And that's the figure for 2011! It's almost certainly greater now. What's more, about 40% of those still attending are elderly who won't be turning up in 10 years' time (too frail or deceased). It is predicted that church attendance by Catholics will fall to 5% by 2030. (I reckon that's an optimistic figure).
What's worse is that relatively young Pell proteges with Pell's very conservative and dogmatic mindset are now archbishops in Sydney and Melbourne, the two biggest archdioceses. That suggests that the very necessary radical reforms the Church needs are not going to happen, locally at least. That will result in a further drop in numbers. Those two archbishops may find themselves curators of the World's largest religious museum.
10
There is a psychologic phenomenon in which the victim of abuse becomes an abuser once he grows up. Further, he tends to target victims of about the same age as he was when he was abused.
I have to wonder how many of the abusive priests, were themselves victims of someone else when they were too young to say No ?
13
I suppose there is some comfort in this. At least Australian justice responded with integrity. In America, Judge Ellis might have given him 3 years and cited the fact that "beside these two boys the defendant had led an exemplary life."
87
@Rick Gage, the judge here did make remarks to that effect...
1
@Rick Gage He will be eligible for parole in 3 years.
1
Most Aussies believe 6 years was not long enough.
2
Six years of Cardinal Pell's life, even if he were to serve all of the sentence, is nothing compared to what young children suffer as they grow up carrying the stain of abuse.
He has lived his life, rich, admired, powerful in the Catholic church, has enjoyed long years of blameless confidence, while these boys struggled through the confusion and shame of growing up with acts they didn't fully understand, except they knew what he did to them, and made them do, was wrong and had to be hidden.
There can be no remedy for that, but a harsh prison sentence might have served as a warning to others in the clergy.
121
@dutchiris-Indeed; a six-year sentence for sexually assaulting children is beyond appalling. I hope others also abused by Pell will bring suits against him and a class action suit against the Church. Age should have no bearing on sentencing given the depravity of his crime and the life sentence of suffering he imposed on his victims.
1
As I've read about the Catholic child abuse/rape story over the past two decades, I've always been really perplexed by the way some news coverage has framed the issue as a failure to defrock the alleged abusers/rapists among the priesthood, or a failure to remove them from a position where they interact with children. To me, the failure has always been the refusal to inform the the police and other civil authorities. I don't think there is any other ethical or appropriate course of action when a person becomes aware of likely child abuse/rape. One day, I'd like to see church officials directly and immediately involve the police when such an incident occurs. Until that day, the Catholic Church will never actually be reforming its actions.
245
@Locho
The new policies since 2002 mandate reporting to legal authorities.
Not in any way to justify or excuse the Church but until fairly recently a lot of other organizations quietly fired people or shuffled them around, too. Schools, sports, scouts, other churches, families, doctors, it was hushed up all over.
24
@Locho
sadly it is not limited to the Catholic Church. All organized religions do the same thing. They cover up the illegal and harmful actions of their leaders and call the abuse victims liars and even shun them or excommunicate them from that religion.
12
Does the Australian penal system allow for having those like the pervert Pell, convicted of heinous child sexual assaults, assigned to a work gang in prison that must break rocks all day? If so, this collared criminal, a homophobic hypocrite of gigantic proportion, well deserves to be the "spiritual leader" of such a hard labor unit or its facsimile, getting his soft and supple hands hardened and calloused. "God's Justice"!
43
@John Grillo
Sorry, John that's a "no" but the "hierarchies" in Australian prisons are scary and Pell will have a very bad time there, be assured. Paedos are known as "rock spiders" and have to be segregated for protection.
6
No we don’t. Our justice systems are quite different to those in the US.
5
@John Grillo
Alas no John. We don't have hard labour here. At worst he will serve at a medium security facility where he can look forward to pursuing sports and other pastimes, probably in the company of other rockspiders.
1
What I find more disturbing are the bishops and cardinals in authority that covered up and protected the priests under their jurisdiction who molested parishioners, nuns and seminarians only to reassign them elsewhere. These men need to be brought to justice.
141
@Steve: MIght the reason for the cover up be complicity in the crime?
The argument, that a person of such importance would never risk it all by abusing a child in fact speaks volumes. It is based on assuming that some people are much more valuable than others...
The argument is of course false —many other priests including McCarrick, also a Cardinal, certainly risked it all. And in the same venue Cardinal Law in Boston provided succor (and new children to abuse) to priests as he moved them from diocese to diocese.
Yet all three were thought of as the next Pope. In their minds, perhaps, they felt they were far more valuable than the children they sacrificed.
128
The great flaw with faith providers is that it is set up by people looking for power/worthiness/belonging. It is difficult for people on the other side of the power equation to understand relationships until it is all too late
2
My argument is not that perpetrators won’t take risks but rather they take greater risks only with children that they have previously carefully groomed to ensure they won’t talk. And that is what doesn’t add up for me in Cardinal Pell’s case. He allegedly sexually assaulted two young boys moments after he had just met them and did so in a wide open heavily trafficked sacristy only minutes after the end of a well attended Sunday Mass. The educated perpetrators I treated simply would not take that kind of a risk because they preferred to carefully groom their victims to ensure their silence. Lastly, the victim experienced forced oral sex on him while being pinned to the floor but he did not report it later because he thought it was “normal.” Something missing?
1
As a liberal Sydney Anglican priest, who does not share many of Cardinal Pell's views nor approve what seemed to be his harsh behaviour at times, I do not believe the charge against him regarding alleged actions in a cathedral on a busy Sunday morning can possibly be true. I also think there has long been a witch-hunt against him, and a frenzy now that even condemns anyone who speaks in his defence. In other words I am convinced that he is innocent, and whether or not his appeal succeeds, and whether or not he goes to gaol, that will remain my view. (I think of the frenzy that accompanied the sentencing of Mrs Chamberlain to gaol for allegedly killing her child, and after being gaoled, she eventually being found innocent. I think of the frenzy that accompanied the condemnation of the late Bishop Bell of Chichester, the accusation against him now likewise found to be false.)
20
@John Bunyan
For ten years I was a lector at the 2nd largest Catholic Church in my state. I would always arrive early to perform a sound check at the lectern and review my reading. Frequently, I would enter the room where the priest and alter boys would don their vestments. I was surprised and uncomfortable that NO parents were in the room to supervise. I saw young boys alone with priests and deacons many times. To parents of alter boys and alter girls: do not ever leave your children alone with a priest.
45
I agree. To read the detailed description of what supposedly happened is to realize the charges are preposterous. It continues to amaze me that those who are willing to believe each and every accusation have not the slightest skepticism nor even the common sense to know that just as there are people who do the terribly evil crime of sexual abuse, so there are also people who do the terribly evil crime of making false accusations.
2
@John Bunyan Jurors who actually heard the testimony on Pell don't agree with your speculations. Perhaps you are really questioning the legal system of your country, and wish to replace it with your speculative version.
8
Picture his cell. It will look very posh...like other high profile felons have been placed it. He won’t be sloshing around in the prison laundry.
3
Cardinal Pell may or may not have committed the crimes that he has been found guilty of. Only time will tell.
However, undoubtedly many, many priests, bishops etc. world wide have committed very serious sex crimes against children. Those priests have betrayed Jesus no less than Judas did and deserve any punishment they get. Having been handpicked by Jesus and having shared a meal with Jesus, Judas went on to betray him in the most callous way just hours later. That betrayal resulted in the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus.
Large numbers of catholics are naturally deserting the church and their faith. On the night of the passion, even Peter distanced himself from Jesus and denied him three times. Now, as then, there are those who are shouting for Barabbas.
But more has to follow. Jesus has to be totally humbled, crucified and has to die.
Followed by a period of total ‘darkness’.
But we must not forget that then, and only then Jesus rose from the dead in glory.
8
It way past time for Catholic Cardinals, Bishop and Priests to be criminally charged and serve time in prison. Law enforcement world wide has looked the other way for far too long.
83
@Jacquie-And to lose their tax-free status!
3
@Jacquie
From the coverage in Australia, this Victorian Police unit assigned to this case, made sure no stone was left unturned - it was a 5 year investigation as they wanted a conviction based on the evidence they saw. There were other claims made against Pell over a 30 year period, but none of them were brought to trial. This is partially because the legal system did not understand how trauma of this nature impacts the victim. The 2013 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Australia has helped enormously to understand the impact on victims and bring about legislative change. Institutions, including religious organisations will be bound by law to report suspicions of abuse by the organisation members or otherwise (thank you ex PM Julia Gillard).
The sheer volume of abuse reported, has been frightening, eye opening, affirming of suspicions and poses the opportunity for Australia to fundamentally of care for its most vulnerable. Most of us here would highly recommend it.
2
They should all be in jail. Every last one of them.
98
Australia does not have an “established church” as England does. We also practise separation of Church and State. Ch 5 s116 of the Constitution forbids establishment of any religion or requiring any religious test as qualification for office under the Commonwealth.
1
@Howard Loewen
Separation of church and state in law but not in fact.
9
@Howard Loewen
"America is great because we have separation of church and state."
Really? Do we? I see the opposite every day!
4