Roman Catholic Cardinal on Trial - sex offences

[ishtat]

The Australian Cardinal George Pell was committed for Trial today on a number of alleged sex offences. The Preliminary court Magistrate (Junior Judge) found that there was a case to answer on some, but not all charges. Some others were also dropped before the preliminary hearing.

Pell is in charge of Finances at the Vatican and is generally labelled number 3 in the world heirarchy. If convicted (by no means certain) he will be by far the most senior Churchman to be jailed

 

[Hypoxia]

"Sects, sects sects! Is that all you priests ever think about?"
--anon

I am curious. Vatican City is formally recognized by many nations as a sovereign state. Cardinals are the 'senate' of that state. Should cardinals possess diplomatic immunity?

 

[ishtat]

"Sects, sects sects! Is that all you priests ever think about?"
--anon

I am curious. Vatican City is formally recognized by many nations as a sovereign state. Cardinals are the 'senate' of that state. Should cardinals possess diplomatic immunity?

Only Papal Nuncios (Ambassadors) and their staff have diplomatic immunity. However, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and the current Pope, Francis have all recalled priests and Bishops and then claimed immunity for them. It is the position of the Church that Canon(church) law always trumps secular law. For example in 2013 the Vatican tried the notorious Bishop Wesolowski for child abuse in secret and refused to either co-operate or hand the bishop over to the Polish authorities.

The broad sequence of strategy for the Vatican is:-

1 Deny the crime
2 Blame the priest or bishop - after blaming the claimants.
3 Remove the culprit to a safe jurisdiction
4 Delay obfusticate and deny any secular authority
5 Refuse to pay any civil damages

It's a mess but the Church won't change. Pell committed to returning to defend himself before the most serious charges emerged. However, the preliminary court ruled yesterday that the most serious charges (50%) would be dropped because the evidence was weak.

I personally reckon that Pell is more likely to get off than be convicted.

 

[beew]

A bit sideway to the topic:

I remember this short story in which, before taking something like a priest job in India, the protagonist married a girl. He didn't do it out of love, but because the Church only accepted married men for that position.

I thought to myself: what a good idea! Not only that this might weed out the creeps, but it would also keep the other priests more grounded.

With nuns these vows make sense, because most women are less visual and have a lower sex drive than men. But asking Catholic male priests to be celibate doesn't make sense.

 

[Taint_mAnn]

A bit sideway to the topic:

Then start your own thread, paki boi.

 

[Hypoxia]

It's a mess but the Church won't change.

Perhaps it's time to consider revocation of tax-exempt status. Like that'll happen.

 

[ishtat]

There is a delicious irony in that Cardinal Pell is a deeply conservative Catholic. He like JP II and Benedict XVI is stongly in favour of the old Tridentine Mass which in Good Friday prayers ritually blamed and condemned the Jews for the death of Jesus.

Yet Pell's senior defence Counsell, Robert Richter is a Jew, an active social reformer born in the USSR who came to OZ as a teenager. Richter is however acknowleged as the best criminal defence lawyer in OZ. So needs must...