We Need To Talk About George Pell

“Rot In Hell Pell” was sprayed onto the door of the Melbourne Cathedral following the news that the disgraced Cardinal George Pell had been freed from prison. Australia's High Court unanimously overturned Pell’s conviction on five counts of child sex abuse.

The case of George Pell has been highly publicized over the last five years. In a post on Spotlight Papers world, the Catholic Church has been watched carefully as they deal with sexual abuse cases. The Catholic Church has faced intense scrutiny over their handling of molestation and abuse within the church after it was proven that the church has spent billions on hush settlements, legal battles, and evasion of law enforcement through cover-ups and non-disclosure agreements.

Cardinal George Pell is the highest-ranking member of the Catholic Church to be accused of sexual assault. The 76-year-old is the most senior Catholic in Australia, and he is overall the third most senior figure in the Vatican. He is at the level where he has been named in the list of likely candidates to replace Pope Francis after his term.

In 2015, a man who was once a choirboy in the 90s gave a statement to detectives that described the molestation of himself and his friend inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral by Pell while he was the Archbishop of Melbourne. Later that year, there was a public appeal for information related to sexual abuse under Pell’s role as Archbishop. In 2017, the police officially charged Pell with multiple counts of sexual assault offenses. Pell denied all of the accusations and took a leave of absence from his role as Secretariat for the Economy to defend himself. After private court appearances, a magistrate committed Pell to stand in trial in 2018 where he pleaded not guilty. In December of 2018, the jury unanimously convicted George Pell on all charges. In 2019, the judge announced that he would be sentenced to six years in prison on five sex abuse convictions.

A few things are worth noting about this case. Throughout the case, there were multiple gag orders preventing media coverage, and a continued refusal to release evidence. This case was extremely hard for the public to follow, as most of the details were kept secret. The secrecy was so intense that even though Pell was convicted in December 2018, the verdict was not able to be reported on until two months after the fact. The court only ended up lifting its gag order after a second trial involving additional accusations was dropped.

The original choirboy who reported the crimes alleged that the acts were done to both him and his friend. Sadly, his friend died in 2014 without ever publicly alleging the crime.

The Catholic Church has been known to pay exorbitant amounts of money for silence. There have been many proven cases of million-dollar transactions paid to victims and witnesses to either not take legal actions, or to lie in legal settings to protect the reputation of the clergy.

In 2019, the Victoria state Court of Appeal ruled 2-1 to uphold the convictions. People following the case saw this as the nail in the coffin, and some even rejoiced in the conviction, seeing it as a new leaf turned over in the fight of justice for sexual abuse victims.

However, on April 7 of this year, the High Court's seven judges voted unanimously to dismiss all convictions against George Pell. Pell was released from prison and now walks as a free man. The uproar was deafening as the public watched helplessly as they watched a convicted pedophile and abuser walk free. Some praised the court's decision, and saw this as an act of justice by clearing an “innocent” man’s name, but the majority of the public was not so convinced.

It seems fishy to say the least that a man in a high position could have five credible accusations of sexual assault against him, be charged, and then through non-publicized appeals, walk free. The court’s decision will be respected, but this case opens up a broader discussion. How transparent should the courts be when discussing a case of this magnitude? In the wake of the MeToo movement, how should the public react when they see injustice dealt at a judicial level? There are a thousand questions to be raised regarding the mishandling of sexual assault cases, but the reaction of the public sends a clear message: there is no room for monsters like George Pell in society, and we believe victims of abuse.

Following the court's decision, the Melbourne Cathedral was vandalized. Sprayed across the doors read “No Justice,” and “Rot in Hell Pell.” The location of the graffiti was significant, the cathedral is the alleged site of the abuse of the choirboys in the 90s. Social media and tabloids were filled with similar messages as the public voiced their upset seeing yet another case regarding clerical abuse get mishandled. Recently, Pope Francis had vowed to change the tides of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. He abolished the secrecy policy applied to sexual abuse cases, meaning that church officials could now share information with secular law enforcement authorities without pushback. The pope had unveiled a strategy for eliminating circumstances in which sexual abuse may occur, changing the way that the church handles sexual abuse cases and ending secrecy rules. It was disappointing, to say the least, to see the promise for a new generation of justice go out the window with the vindication of George Pell.

From the pews of the Catholic Church, bible verses are read that signal the importance of seeking justice. Isaiah 1:17 says, “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression” which would go to show that the religion itself does not foster abuse. Yet, we find ourselves with over 100,000 cases of sexual assault within the Catholic Church. We can hope and fight for change.

If you or someone you know has experienced any form of sexual abuse, click here are a few resources for you to contact to seek justice.

To quote Pope Francis, “The echo of the silent cry of the little ones will shake hearts dulled by hypocrisy and by power. It is our duty to pay close heed to this silent, choked cry.”

Thumbnail Image Courtesy Erik Anderson AAP