Oh poor George (Cardinal Pell)...might have been easier to come home!

[don_t_ask]

@Bricker

Correct. That’s a no.

It is not customary to answer a rhetorical question. Or didn’t you know that?

[quiltguy]

I wonder if John Cleese and Michael Palin might be doing a little schadenfreude dance about now?

[Bricker]

@don_t_ask

It is not customary to answer a rhetorical question. Or didn’t you know that?

Sure. But I chose to flout that custom.

[coremelt]

Here’s the latest on Pell and it’s written by a conservative Australian writer who has been up to now defending Pell. He flew to Rome to witness the testimony and what he saw was extremely unconvincing.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/andrew-bolt/cardinal-george-pell-went-by-the-book-and-not-the-heart/news-story/d991048345a7b669ce9fd078a31e5f68

Pell’s quote about convicted Pedophile Priest Gerald Ridsdale “it wasn’t of much interest to me”. So at the very least he was utterly indifferent to fellow priests raping children, even though he was on committees that were involved in moving Ridsdale from parish to parish multiple times to cover up his crimes.

[Bricker]

@coremelt

Here’s the latest on Pell and it’s written by a conservative Australian writer who has been up to now defending Pell. He flew to Rome to witness the testimony and what he saw was extremely unconvincing.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/andrew-bolt/cardinal-george-pell-went-by-the-book-and-not-the-heart/news-story/d991048345a7b669ce9fd078a31e5f68

Pell’s quote about convicted Pedophile Priest Gerald Ridsdale “it wasn’t of much interest to me”. So at the very least he was utterly indifferent to fellow priests raping children, even though he was on committees that were involved in moving Ridsdale from parish to parish multiple times to cover up his crimes.

Undoubtedly this latest link completely proves your case.

Sadly,I cannot read the content without paying a subscription.

[Cazzle]

@Bricker

Undoubtedly this latest link completely proves your case.

Sadly,I cannot read the content without paying a subscription.

If you google the title of the article and follow the link to it from the search results, the paywall won’t block you.

[coremelt]

Odd, there is links to that article from Facebook and google which work fine but they’re playing silly buggers with the link.

More coverage:

George Pell wasn't much interested in stories of abuse by priests. Which was...

"It's a sad story and it wasn't of much interest to me": Pell - InDaily

The man who could haunt Cardinal George Pell

[kambuckta]

I’m watching the 3rd day of the Royal Commission hearings as I write, and it’s not looking good for you George.

[Battle_Pope]

It’s fascinating - according to poor old George he was lied to by everyone who knew what was going on, both in the church (by a Bishop and Arch Bishop no less! and now the Catholic Education Office) and all the details were kept from him, even at the meetings held to discuss the issue that he attended.

He’s a Saint I tell you, a Saint!!! /sarcasm

[kambuckta]

@Battle_Pope

It’s fascinating - according to poor old George he was lied to by everyone who knew what was going on, both in the church (by a Bishop and Arch Bishop no less! and now the Catholic Education Office) and all the details were kept from him, even at the meetings held to discuss the issue that he attended.

He’s a Saint I tell you, a Saint!!! /sarcasm

And now Gail Furness SC has essentially called him a liar. Well, she used different words, saying his evidence is highly implausible, but that sorta means liar in my book.

Fascinating stuff indeed.

[Battle_Pope]

This is off the Guardian feed:

Furness says to Pell: “Cardinal, I have to suggest to you that your evidence in relation to not being briefed properly or adequately by the Catholic Education Office [about Searson abusing children], and the reasons for that, are completely implausible.”

Pell replies; “Um, counsel, I can only tell you the truth, the whole story of Searson is quite implausible and the cover-up is equally implausible. I can only tell you the way it was as far as I’m concerned.”

Furnes: “I suggest,Cardinal, that the evidence you have given has been designed to deflect blame from you on doing nothing in relation to Father Searson that had any real effect after the delegation came to you.”

Pell: “Um, that is not accurate because I took up the matter with the Archbishop himself.”

Yesterday, Furness put it to Pell that it was implausible he did not know that notorious pedophile priest, Gerald Ridsdale, was abusing children, given it was common knowledge and that Pell held a senior position within the Ballarat diocese, where Ridsdale was abusing. Pell denied the allegation.

That’s about as close to “You’re full of shit” that the commission can go.

[Lobot]

There was a conspiracy against Pell because he would have asked tough questions!

Best exchange yet:

Furness: “There is reference… to Father Searson stabbing to death a bird in front of the children.”

Pell: “Yes.”

Furness: “Did that come to your attention?”

Pell: “At some stage I think, I don’t know whether the bird was already dead but at some stage I certainly was informed of this bizarre happening.”

Furness: “Does it matter whether the bird was dead or it was stabbed when it was dead?”

Pell: “Not really. Not really.”

[Battle_Pope]

**Cardinal Pell: **They (Education Office) might not have been certain I would take decisive action but they would have been fearful that I would, and pretty certain that I would, have asked all sorts of inconvenient questions if I’d been better briefed.

I have this image of Pell draping his cassock over the lower part of his face, fading into the shadows while muttering “I’m Batman!”

[Lobot]

Yes, he’s a superhero hamstrung by the status quo.

He’s really squirming right now. It’s quite amazing to watch.

[Battle_Pope]

Pell tells the commission that he knew Father Searson was a serious problem. He has been presented with a list of concerns about Searson’s behaviour by the Catholic education office, which included a report that he had abused animals in front of children.

“Yes, I knew he was a serious problem,” Pell says.

Furness: “You knew he was such a serious problem that he shouldn’t be a priest, didn’t you?”

Pell: “No, I didn’t come to that conclusion. The position I accepted was the official position given to me that we did not have sufficient evidence to remove him.”

:smack:

In case anyone is wondering about a sample of Searson’s behaviour:

Counsel Assisting: In March 1993, you will no doubt be aware from the material you have read that Searson held a knife to the chest of a young girl in the church saying to her “If you move, this will go through you”.

Seems ideal material for a priest.

[Lobot]

Searson was, by all accounts, a complete psychopath as well as a paedophile. Not that those qualities were enough to disqualify him from being a Catholic priest–most likely, they only bolstered his CV.

[kambuckta]

Does anybody know a rough time-frame for when the Royal Commission might wrap-up and report its findings?

[Battle_Pope]

@kambuckta

Does anybody know a rough time-frame for when the Royal Commission might wrap-up and report its findings?

On their website the terms of reference section extends the deadline from 15 December 2015 until 15 December 2017.

https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/about-us/terms-of-reference

[Battle_Pope]

For an auxiliary bishop, Pell seems staggeringly ignorant of the goings on in his diocese for that time.

[kambuckta]

Thanks Battle Pope..

I’m sure Cardinal Pell will be very, very ill by the time the RC releases its report and recommendations.