I don't buy it. The man is innocent until his guilt is proven. I have a hard time seeing how the testimony of two men who's lives are a mess with a string of disaster in their wake can be taken over that of the Cardinal. Who stands to gain from this? I have a close relationship with someone who's life was ripped apart at a tender age due to impropriety on the part of their mother and a Priest. So, I know it happens. Many years later this same woman blackmailed the Church to keep her silence directly after hearing about the settlements the Church was paying out.
Sadly there are a few points I would make here. First of all on the advisability of appointing someone who was under investigation by the police for child abuse as third most important Church Official, Treasurer to the Church and leaving him in place as the investigation took place. Well the first difficulty is that this pears to give the appearance that the Pope and the Vatican do not take child abuse seriously as a crime. If for instance Cardinal Pell was being investigated for parking his car in the wrong place, then yes he could have been allowed to do his job, but not for child abuse. No. Priests who are being investigated for abuse are at once removed from active duty this should apply a hundred times more for a Cardinal. Secondly in removing the Cardinal from the jurisdiction of the Australian Authorities they gave the very real appearance of being complicit in giving the Cardinal Diplomatic Protection. The Vatican have a history for doing this for instance the Polish Archbishop, Jozef Wesolkski who the was wanted by the authorities for trial on sex abuse charges and was given Diplomatic Status and protection by the Vatican: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/29/...used-of-child-sexual-abuse-is-found-dead.html
Nor are we talking of historic cases at the Vatican, this incident for instance quite recently, reported on Gloria TV, there is some reason a senior Vatican Cardinal may be implicated: https://gloria.tv/article/QJgkoWSAgYPe6J2qJoCbtgzg1 Homosexual Vatican Monsignor Arrested: Drugs And Gay Parties Il Fatto Quotidiano writes, that the Holy See's Gendarmerie disrupted a homosexual drug-party in an apartment of the Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio in Rome, where also the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith is located. The apartment belongs to a monsignor, who was caught red-handed. According to Il Fatto Quotidiano, he is the secretary of a cardinal who heads a dicastery of the Roman Curia and who had proposed the monsignor to become a bishop. The monsignor was brought to the Roman clinic Pio XI in order to be detoxified. He is now in a monastery in Italy. His apartment was not destined for simple monsignors. He also drove an exclusive car with Vatican license plates, which are reserved for higher Vatican dignitaries. Il Fatto Quotidiano writes that the cardinal, for whom the monsignor was working, is well over 75. This is only true for two cardinals at the Roman Curia, Cardinal Angelo Amato (79) of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and pro-gay Cardinal Francesco Cocopalmerio (79) of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. Cardinal Francesco Cocopalmerio (79) of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.
By the way If Cardinal Pell was guilty he was wide open to blackmail. Why would you want someone who may be wide open to blackmail running the Vatican Finances? Because they are open to blackmail and thus easily controlled. If the other hand if you did not want someone who might be easily blackmailed, why put someone under police investigation for child abuse in charge? Go figure.
Anyway my Faith is based on Jesus Christ rather than prelates in the Vatican. Thank God I never have to go near the place. Nor never, please God, ever will. Yuk.
I wonder if the Cardinal Pell case will be what turns the tide of public approval against Pope Francis. If so, the backlash will be vicious.
I remember when the media turned harshly on Pope Benedict for all the Abuse scandals. It was running very hot in the news. This is when Pope Benedict made the unexpected comment that 'One deceives himself who thinks that the prophetic mission of Fatima is concluded' Things seemed to calm down a bit after this. Pope Emeritus is not available to comment this time. And I dont think Pope Francis will go here.
