Cardinal Pell is dead. The news articles that trumpet that sad news to the world also review the facts of his life and always include his time in prison and most, I feel, do not do Cardinal Pell justice.
The Washington Post headline states “Cardinal Pell, convicted then acquitted of child sex abuse, dies at 81.”
CNN’s lead states, “Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic official to be convicted of child sex abuse before the ruling was overturned in 2020, has died, according to his secretary. He was 81.”
As if that were his main contribution to the world.
Many of us firmly believed that Pell had been framed and that opinion was vindicated by the overturning of his conviction.
After the highly improbable charges were trumpeted salaciously by the bias media and Cardinal Pell was convicted, Pell reportedly said ‘I could understand that public opinion was against me while I could not understand why two expert judges could reach those conclusions.”
Many people believe some in the Vatican may bave been pushing the frame up. Who knows? With the way things are today, I don’t doubt much. It was well known that Pell was investigating corruption in the Vatican.
There is so much going on there. So much to investigate but the international and national media would rather just label him a convicted sex offender who had it overturned.
The cardinal spent 13 months in prison that included regular dehumanizing strip searches. This man suffered.
One newspaper recently reported that “Speaking to Irish reporter Colm Flynn in an interview aired on the BBC World Service in May 2021, Cardinal Pell said he wasn’t keen to return to Rome but Pope Francis refused to let his apartment be packed up.”
Why? Why was he tortured? This man suffered relentless character assassination. This man was hated. Made to suffer indignities. Why?
Cardinal Pell understood why and he persevered. In his World Youth Day homily in 2008, he said, “Whatever our situation we must pray for an openness of heart, for a willingness to take the next step, even if we are fearful of venturing too much further. If we take God’s hand, he will do the rest. Trust is the key. God will not fail us.”
