Pope invokes persecution of Christ as cardinal wins choirboys abuse appeal
Pontiff speaks out for victims of injustice hours after former Vatican treasurer is freed from jail
POPE FRANCIS dedicated Mass in his Vatican residence to people who are unjustly imprisoned, in a veiled reference to George Pell, an Australian cardinal who yesterday won an appeal against child sex abuse convictions.
The Vatican said it “welcomed” the decision by Australia’s High Court to quash the conviction of Cardinal Pell, who was convicted in 2018 of raping and assaulting two boys in the Nineties.
The court overturned the convictions in a unanimous decision yesterday after Cardinal Pell appealed.
It stated that the jury “ought to have entertained a doubt as to the applicant’s guilt with respect to each of the offences for which he was convicted”.
A Twitter post from Pope Francis several hours after the decision appeared to liken the trial to the persecution of Christ.
“In these days of Lent, we’ve been witnessing the persecution that Jesus underwent and how He was judged ferociously, even though He was innocent,” he wrote. “Let us pray together today for all those persons who suffer due to an unjust sentence because someone had it in for them.”
Hours after the ruling, he said: “I would like to pray today for all those persons who suffer an unjust sentence because of persecution.”
It is not clear if the cardinal will return to his job as the Vatican’s treasurer – effectively, its finance minister. He was the highest-ranking Catholic official to be convicted of abuse and was serving a six-year sentence after being found guilty of abusing two choirboys while archbishop of Melbourne.
His legal team took the matter to the
High Court, arguing that the appeal court had failed to take proper account of evidence that cast doubt on his guilt.
The cardinal is still Australia’s most senior Catholic.
The Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge, wrote in a statement that the outcome “will be welcomed by many, including those who have believed in the cardinal’s innocence throughout this lengthy process”.
“We also recognise that the High Court’s decision will be devastating for others. Many have suffered greatly through the process, which has now reached its conclusion,” it added.
Lisa Flynn, who represented one of the complainants, said that her client was “gutted” and “in shock” at the outcome.
A number of civil cases are said to be pending against Cardinal Pell, either by people who allege they were abused by him or who claim he refused to take action to prevent their abuse at the hands of other priests, or to hold those priests to account.