Cardinal Pell Appeal Denied

As expected by me and many in the Catholic blogosphere, Cardinal Pell's appeal was denied. A panel of judges in Australia's appeals court system decided 2-1 that the verdict in the trial against Cardinal Pell was beyond a reasonable doubt.

So Cardinal Pell now stands still convicted of five counts of child sexual abuse, charges he adamantly denies even till today. The Chief Justice, Anne Ferguson declared the 2-1 decision and informed that Pell will be "eligible for parole after he has served three years and eight months."

The judges found the complainant as a "compelling witness" and that he did not fabricate the story nor embellished it. However, Justice Mark Weinberg found the testimony to have occasionally been embellished and was inconsistent. Over 24,000 people signed a petition fighting for Cardinal Pell to have an appeal. Many have shown doubt regarding the accusations and verdict. The details of the story do not add up, according to them. One of the major details is the claim that the Cardinal was able to sexually assault the alleged victim while wearing episcopal vestments and in an open area where other priests and personnel walked about. Nevertheless, defenders of the verdict insist that the cardinal could have simply lifted up his vestments in order to expose himself and engage in intercourse.

Cardinal Pell was the prefect for the Secretariate for the Economy. This is the branch of the Vatican which controlled finances. During his tenure, he discovered millions of euros hidden in other accounts and which were not listed on balance sheets. He found that various Vatican dicasteries, councils, and congregations had their own independent finances with funds totaling to nearly 1 billion euros.  No one had oversight of these accounts.

The cardinal has fought for his innocence to the point of not invoking diplomatic immunity as a cardinal.  Cardinals are Vatican citizens and are considered diplomats.  The cardinal could have stayed at the Vatican and declared diplomatic immunity rather than waiving this right and flying to Australia to clear his name.  This act, to many, shows that he is truly innocent.

You can write Cardinal Pell at:

Cardinal George Pell 

Melbourne Assessment Prison 

317-353 Spencer Street 

West Melbourne VIC 3003 AUSTRALIA
Let us pray for the Cardinal, alleged victims, and the Australian legal system.  The fight is not yet over.





Source:

https://www.sacerdotus.com/2019/02/cardinal-pell-found-guilty-of-child-sex.html

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/livestream-and-cna-live-blog-on-cardinal-pell-appeal-watch-tuesday-aug-20-at-730-eastern-74303

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-49416573

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/20/world/australia/cardinal-pell-appeal.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/cardinal-pell-the-highest-vatican-official-to-face-justice-over-abuse-appeals-guilty-verdict/2019/08/20/e9646c86-c2b6-11e9-8bf7-cde2d9e09055_story.html

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/21/victim-advocates-cheer-as-pell-appeal-rejected-hallelujah-proof-there-is-a-god

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/aug/21/cardinal-george-pell-appeal-sexual-assault-conviction

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/20/australia/cardinal-george-pell-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/cardinal-pell-appeal

Cardinal Pell Found Guilty of Child Sex Abuse

Cardinal Pell of Australia and former Vatican treasurer was found guilty by a jury. He was accused of sexually molesting two choir boys in 1996 at Melbourne's cathedral. The cardinal pleaded not guilty and has reaffirmed his innocence even after the guilty verdict. 

He will be appealing the decision.  The cardinal was charged with 5 counts of sexual abuse of a minor; one charge for the penetration of a minor under 16 and four counts of an indecent act on a minor younger than 16.

According to the details of the case, two 13-year-old boys were caught drinking wine used for Communion.  The cardinal caught them and told them they are in trouble for drinking it. Afterwards, Pell forced the boys into indecent acts, including penetrating one of them. One of the victims testified before the court. The other victim died of a drug overdose in 2014. Some claim that he succumbed to drug use due to the abuse allegedly perpetuated by Pell. 

The news of this verdict has been circulating since December. However, the media was not supposed to report on the court decision until the judge gave the clear.  Journalists to revealed the details of the trial without the court's approval may face jail-time themselves.  On his part, Cardinal Pell voluntarily left Rome to face the charges.  As a cardinal, he has Vatican citizenship and diplomatic immunity. The cardinal believed he would be cleared of the charges and has been adamant about being innocent. He took the risk and is now facing prison time. The Vatican said the decision is painful but that Pell has a right to defend himself to the last degree.

This whole situation is indeed sad and painful. I will not say that the cardinal is innocent or guilty for I simply do not know. Many things have to take into account.  Australia is very hostile towards religion. It is possible that the jurors chosen made their decision based on personal convictions and not the facts. Moreover, not much evidence was provided to corroborate the claims. Only testimonies were used. In my opinion, the case should be retried in another venue with more substantial evidence. This is not to say that the victims lie. I state this for the sake of fairness for both parties. If testimonies are the sole thing that suffices to convict someone, then the legal system is in trouble. 








Source:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-47366113

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

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/26/cardinal-george-pell-could-face-50-year-prison-sentence-conviction/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/26/cardinal-george-pell-could-face-50-year-prison-sentence-conviction/

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/cardinal-pell-conviction-has-shocked-many-1.3806710

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/video-president-of-australian-bishops-says-news-of-cardinal-pell-conviction/

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/after-cardinal-pell-verdict--australian-journalists-may-face-jail-11290684

https://news.sky.com/video/burn-in-hell-cardinal-pell-heckled-outside-melbourne-court-11648444

https://www.9news.com.au/videos/cardinal-pell-found-guilty-of-five-counts-of-historical-child-sexual-abuse/cjsl0qd84002i0gqxuemp2wu6

https://www.wtnh.com/news/australian-cardinal-pell-convicted-of-molesting-2-choirboys_20190226120723/1811223440

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjXz7KDg9rgAhWn7YMKHbTBCtkQjhx6BAgBEAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wilx.com%2Fcontent%2Fnews%2FMost-senior-Catholic-charged-with-child-sex-abuse-convicted.html&psig=AOvVaw0fxi_rZNqvkW31WMdWYbBs&ust=1551291958202061