Columns defending Pell cut from Catholic paper

TWO opinion columns discussing the conviction of Cardinal George Pell that were originally published in the March edition of the Catholic Standard have been replaced in a revised edition.

The Archdiocese of Hobart withdrew the Standard — its official publication — from dis- tribution on Friday last week after concerns were raised about a column that described Pell’s “accusers” as wicked, and Pell as an innocent man who was found guilty.

The column was written by David Daintree, the director of the Christopher Dawson Centre for Cultural Studies.

Dr Daintree apologised “for any offence I may have caused” and the archdiocese said it would reissue the Catholic Standard.

Pell, 77, was sentenced on Wednesday to six years’ jail, with a non-parole period of three years and eight months, for sexually abusing two choir boys in the 1990s while he was Archbishop of Melbourne.

Pell is appealing against the conviction.

In the revised edition of the Catholic Standard, which was distributed to churches on Thursday, Dr Daintree’s column has been replaced by an article about CatholicCare Tasmania’s new North-West regional manager.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Dr Daintree said he was not referring to Pell’s victims but to “public figures and jour- nalists” who “strove to besmirch the cardinal’s reputation”. He also wrote that juries had been mistaken and “I believe they have erred in this case”.

An opinion piece by Australian Catholic University ViceChancellor Greg Craven has also been pulled from the Standard. Professor Craven’s column — almost identical to a column he wrote that appeared in The Australian newspaper two weeks ago — questioned the justice system and said it could be “systematically assaulted from the outside in a conscious attempt to make a fair trial impossible”.

The only coverage of the Pell case in the new edition of the Standard is a news report of his sentencing.