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This was published 4 years ago
After Pell's appeal fails, world will be watching the Pope's next move
EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.
Shockwaves from the dismissal of Cardinal George Pell’s appeal will reverberate around the world and end squarely in the Vatican.
It is appropriate for the Pope to wait for all legal avenues to be exhausted – in other words, will there be a High Court appeal? – but then he will have no choice but to remove Pell from the College of Cardinals and begin the process of laicisation (removing him from the priesthood).
Pope Francis with Cardinal George Pell in 2015.Credit: AP
This is what happened to another disgraced cardinal, Washington’s Theodore McCarrick, 88, in February for sexually abusing minors.
Francis has been a popular pope but many critics have thought him slow to act on abuse until recently – the eyes of the Catholic world will be on him now.
In the Byzantine world of Vatican politics, the upholding of Pell’s conviction should strengthen the Pope’s position against arch-conservatives.
Change comes slowly at the Vatican, so don’t expect secular ideals of transparency and accountability any time soon, but a culture shift is under way.
Chief Justice Anne Ferguson remarked in her summary how divisive the case had been, and those divisions certainly do not end here.
Prominent right-wing defenders in the secular media have portrayed Pell as the innocent victim of culture wars, a scapegoat for perceived failures in the Catholic Church’s handling of sex abuse complaints.
Their focus on broader divisions in the church and wider society has made their culture war predictions a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In fact, the cardinal was a key architect of the discredited Catholic Church response since 1996, so criticised by the Royal Commission – first introducing the Melbourne Response in 1996 as Archbishop of Melbourne, then under the Towards Healing protocol as Archbishop of Sydney from 2001. But, as County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd pointed out in sentencing the Cardinal, all that was quite irrelevant to his trial, which concerned five specific charges.
Pell leaving court on Wednesday morningCredit: Jason South
Survivors of sexual abuse are, in the main, naturally delighted. It is understandable that so many see it as vindication and a judgment on the Catholic Church, but they too, of course, must remember that it relates only to one man and particular events.
What does it mean for the Catholic Church in Australia? Probably not a great deal.
It would have been far more complicated if the appeal had been allowed, exacerbating divisions and creating new uncertainties. Such a finding could not be complete vindication, merely reasonable doubt.
Meanwhile Pell faces a number of civil court cases in the coming months and years.
As it is, the Catholic Church’s handling of sexual abuse complaints had already sparked something of an exodus, and the loss of an appeal does not have the same impact as the original guilty verdict.
Those who remain know that the Church is not the bishops or the hierarchy but the whole body of the faithful, and does not stand or fall with any one man. That view was highlighted by the reforming 1960s Vatican Council, and has been strongly endorsed by Pope Francis.
Many Catholics accept Pell’s protestations of innocence, while far more consider the leadership irrelevant to their parish life.
Parishes that are strong will carry on, and where parishes may be weak that is not the fault of Cardinal Pell – or at least not for these crimes. His authoritarian leadership as archbishop offended many Catholics but the reasons for decline are varied, and well documented.
The Australian Catholic Church is holding a major synod next year, the first since before World War II. Already, according to the Plenary Council website, more than 220,000 people have taken part in preparations, and there have been more than 17,000 submissions.
This event will be vastly more important for the long-term health of the Church than the disgrace of a former leader.
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or beyondblue 1300 224 636.