One year ago, today: Card. Pell acquitted

At the National Catholic Register there is a piece about the exoneration of His Eminence George Card. Pell.   He was falsely accused of sexual abuse and unjustly imprisoned for 400 days.  Eventually, he was freed by the Australian High Court.

Fr. de Souza’s piece is good. He asks a good question:

Imagine a priest convicted of equally impossible charges, but without the resources to appeal the case to the High Court. If a canonical investigation concluded that the wrongfully convicted priest was innocent, would the Church have the courage to make that finding, with its attendant consequences?

The Vatican avoided the nightmare scenario, which would have come to pass had the High Court refused to take Cardinal Pell’s appeal, or ruled against him. A canonical investigation would have certainly found him innocent, uncorrupted as it would have been by fevered anti-clericalism. Would the Vatican have had the courage to defy the judgment of the Australian criminal justice system?

During the whole matter, almost all Vatican press statements expressed their “respect” for Australian criminal justice. Why? It manifestly failed in Cardinal Pell’s case at least, as it ought not require a High Court appeal to free an innocent man from 400 days of incarceration in solitary confinement.

It is a good thing for clerics to think about, especially in light of the fact that the CDF recently rejected the FALSE case brought against Fr. Perrone in Detroit.  HERE

I’ve been slowly reading through Card. Pell’s

PRISON JOURNAL – Vol. 1 – Ignatius Press

US HERE – UK HERE

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8 Comments

  1. benedetta says:

    I just completed reading Cardinal Pell’s first volume of his prison journal. Inspiring. I was intrigued how his imprisonment and false accusation had the power to mobilize Catholics all over the world.

  2. Sportsfan says:

    The injustice of Cardinal Pell’s situation disturbed me greatly. It ignited in me an ability to pray fervently.
    I often think of priests that have been falsely accused that fall into despair.
    His example should give hope.

  3. Gab says:

    Note too that any profits from Cardinal Pell’s journals are being used to pay off his legal fees – contrary to many detractors who kept saying that the Church paid the good Cardinal’s legal fees.

  4. Charles E Flynn says:

    The Vatican might have asked Beijing for permission to be critical of the Australian High Court.

  5. JakeMC says:

    Fr. Perrone’s case sounds like a straight-out case of disobedience by the archbishop, which should be investigated by the Vatican. I mean, come on! They deny permission, and the archbishop’s proceeding anyway? Something’s REALLY rotten there!

  6. Semper Gumby says:

    Charles E. Flynn: Good point.

    From the article:
    “In the year since Cardinal Pell’s release, the Vatican has not publicly commented on the status of the investigation.”

    “…it would appear that the CDF’s canonical investigation has been resolved in his favor. Yet that has not been announced.”

    In contrast to that silence is the Vatican’s daily parroting of Leftist talking points and its diabolical effort to “update” the Lord’s Prayer- the specific words of Jesus Christ.

    By the way, George Weigel has also written solid articles about Cardinal Pell during the last several years.

  7. Semper Gumby says:

    The Great Commission:

    16] And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. [17] And seeing him they adored: but some doubted. [18] And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: **All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.** [19] Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. [20] **Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you**: and behold **I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.**

    Distorting the Lord’s Prayer to: “Do not abandon us to temptation” is heresy.

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