Guilty !

Last December, George Pell, the man cited as the third ranking Catholic of the world, was found guilty of sexually abusing two choirboys at St Patricks Cathedral in Melbourne in the 1990's.  Because he was facing trial in another court a suppression order prevented that verdict being reported in the media.   That second trial failed to proceed because of a lack of admissible evidence and the suppression order has now been lifted.

Pell has served at the highest ranks in the Catholic church and that included the position of Archbishop of Melbourne.  He went on to serve in the Vatican as head of that church's bank and he was a close confidant of the Pope.  It is evident that the Vatican has been cautiously distancing itself from George Pell and this guilty announcement comes after a four day summit on sex abuse by priests came to an unsatisfactory conclusion.

Many victims of the priesthood will be overjoyed that justice has been served at last.  Pell served as the administrator of compensation funds awarded to victims and he was less than generous in his decisions.  He was scathing in his dismissal of claims of abuse that had indicted priests from a multitude of sources and sheltered the church behind a very shaky legal defence that has since been dismissed.

It seems inevitable that Pell will face a prison term when sentencing commences, but in the interim he has signalled that he will appeal this guilty verdict.  Priests are not wealthy people by the very nature of the office they hold and it will be interesting to see whether the church funds his legal representation. In the eyes of many people,  guilt will only be confirmed when the appeals process is completed and no further appeals are possible.

This appeal hearing is not likely to take place for many months and that raises the question of bail. Pell is an old man and claims to be in poor health.  It is highly likely he will seek bail rather than stay in prison on remand and that brings the question of where this bail money will come from  - and what figure will be set for his release.   He does not pose a flight risk because his face is well known across Australia but past precedent demands that bail fits the severity of the crime.

This guilty verdict brings disgrace to both George Pell and his church.  For a very long time the rumours of sexual crime have been studiously ignored by the police and disbelieved by many Catholic families.   Some victims have committed suicide and happy lives have been ruined. Sadly, the church procedures to excise this cancer from the priesthood are yet to be accepted and put in place.

There is also a civic honour that was bestowed on George Pell that now seems inappropriate. He was invested in the Order of Australia and when his appeal is rejected that would be an appropriate time for it to be withdrawn.   Otherwise, his name on that honour roll brings discredit to the other recipients.