Innocent - Until Proved Guilty !

At long last the accusations that Cardinal George Pell engaged in child sexual assault are going to be heard in court and the third most senior figure in the Roman Catholic Church will return to Australia to face charges brought by the Victorian police.  It has been made abundantly clear the bill for his defence counsel will not be paid by the Vatican.

George Pell has long been a controversial figure.  As the most senior representative of the Catholic church in Australia he presided over the compensation payments made by the church to settle cases where priests were accused of molesting children.  Many of these went back years and Pell made enemies when he stoutly defended the church on all occasions and was parsimonious is offering funds to victims.   He was constantly accused of being unsympathetic to the suffering caused.

Pell rose rapidly through the ranks of priests in Australia and  Pope Francis elevated him to take charge of the Vatican finances in Rome, where he seemed certain to end his days.  He claimed ill health to avoid returning to Australia to face an earlier enquiry into child abuse within the church and these current charges came as a shock to many people.  It seems likely that the matter of an adequate defence and how that will be financed will be equally controversial.

Those who enter the priesthood take a vow of poverty - as well as a vow of celibacy.  It is probable that Pell owns no property and has the expectation that eventual retirement will be in a church home with his upkeep met by the church.  It can be construed that while he is facing personal charges of crimes against children, he is in fact representing the church in the eyes of the public.   After years of innuendo - many have already made up their mind about his guilt.

The law in Australia ensures that the accused is entitled to legal representation in court.  That law stipulates that where an accused lacks the means to be represented, a qualified practitioner will be engaged at public expense to so act.   That legal representative is usually someone recently admitted to the bar and lacking wide court experience.   He would be facing down the very best prosecution team that the Victorian police would put together  in keeping with the public interest value of this case.

Justice would not be served in such a scenario.   Pell has engaged a leading counsel who may charge several thousand dollars for each day in court and it seems that a private bank account has been setup to deal with the Cardinals legal bill and the public are invited to donate funds.   There is the danger that such an arrangement may quickly become a contest between church and state  with the Catholic community believing that the church itself is under attack and they have a religious obligation to defend George Pell.

It would be a short mind set to the view that George Pell is innocent - nomatter what the evidence shows - and that these charges are simply the latest form of anti-Catholic feeling which was so prevalent in early Australia.   In this instance, the public purse should show benevolence and ensure that Pell is not unjustly represented because of his vocation !