George Pell

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George Cardinal Pell (2007)
Cardinal Pell's coat of arms

George Cardinal Pell AC (born June 8, 1941 in Ballarat , Victoria ) is an Australian Cardinal Curia of the Roman Catholic Church . He was Archbishop of Melbourne from 1996 to 2001 and Archbishop of Sydney from 2001 to 2014 . From April 2013 to October 2018 he was a member of the Pontifical Council of Cardinals . From February 2014 to February 2019 he was Prefect of the newly created Economic Secretariat of the Roman Curia ; but since June 2017 he was released from his official duties for the duration of his court proceedings in Australia. In 2008, Pell was charged with covering up abuse cases; In 2017, police investigations began against him for sexually abusing boys. In the subsequent court proceedings, the jury found him unanimously guilty in December 2018. The verdict, which was confirmed in the 2019 appellate court, was unanimously overturned on April 7, 2020 by the High Court of Australia and Pell was acquitted of all allegations.

Life

George Pell, son of a Catholic mother of Irish descent and an Anglican father of English descent, attended Loreto College and St. Patrick's College in Ballarat. From 1956 to 1959 he was an active Australian football player for Richmond Football Club , which plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). In favor of the priestly profession, he gave up his sporting activities. From 1959 to 1965 he studied philosophy and theology at the Corpus Christi College in Werribee near Melbourne and at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome . On 16 December 1966 he received the St. Peter the priesthood by Cardinal Krikor Bedros XV. Agagianian . At the University of Oxford , he finished 1971, a church history doctoral program for Ph.D. with a dissertation on The exercise of authority in early Christianity from about 170 to about 270 (German "The exercise of authority in early Christianity from about 170 to 270"). During his studies at Oxford he was chaplain of Eton College .

In 1971 he returned to Australia and was assistant priest in Swan Hill for two years. In 1973 he switched to pastoral care in Ballarat and in 1984 to Bungaree. At Monash University in Melbourne he completed a master's degree in education in 1982. He was Episcopal Vicar for Education (1973–84), Director of the Aquinas Campus of the Institute of Catholic Education (1974–84) and Rector of the Institute of Catholic Education (1981–84). He also worked as an editor for Light , the Diocesan newspaper of Ballarat, from 1979 to 1984 . From 1985 to 1987 he was the rector of Corpus Christi College in Melbourne.

bishop

On March 30, 1987, he was appointed Titular Bishop of Scala and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne by Pope John Paul II . He was ordained episcopal by the then Archbishop of Melbourne , Thomas Francis Little , on May 21, 1987. Co- consecrators were the Bishop of Ballarat , Ronald Austin Mulkearns , and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Peter O'Connell of Melbourne. Pell chose Nolite timere as the motto (“Do not be afraid ”; cf. ( Lk 2.10  EU )).

Little resigned in 1996 for health reasons; Pell was appointed his successor as Archbishop of Melbourne on July 16, 1996. The inauguration took place on August 16 of the same year. As Archbishop of Melbourne, Pell used the "Melbourne Response" in 1996 to investigate allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church .

He was named Archbishop of Sydney on March 26, 2001 and inducted into office on May 10 of the same year.

In the consistory of October 21, 2003, Pope John Paul II accepted him as a cardinal priest with the titular church of Santa Maria Domenica Mazzarello in the college of cardinals .

Pope Benedict XVI appointed him for the XII. Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops , which met in Rome from October 5 to 26, 2008, as delegated President. He entrusted him with the task of supporting the Pope in the direction of the universal Church and preparing changes to the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus , which regulates the organization of the Curia. With this mandate, Pope Francis appointed him in April 2013 as a member of the Council of Cardinals , a group of eight cardinals who are supposed to advise the Pope on the reform of the Curia. On February 24, 2014, Pope Francis appointed him Prefect of the newly established Economic Secretariat with the Motu proprio Fidelis dispensator et prudens .

For many years he was the Grand Prior of the Order of Australia-New South Wales of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem .

Pell joined the Order of Saint Lazarus on July 25, 1985 and served for many years as Senior Chaplain (SChlJ) in the Victoria Commendation. He later continued his membership as national chaplain general in the Australian Grand Priory. Pell was honored for his work as chaplain general of the Order of Lazarus and for his services to ecumenism with the award of the Church Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of St. Lazarus, the highest honor of the order.

Pell has been Vice Patron of Richmond Football Club , an Australian football club based in Richmond , Victoria , Australia , since 1997 . As a student in 1957, he played for the team known by the nickname "The Tigers".

Allegations of cover-up and sexual offenses

In 2008, several sexual abuse victims accused him of covering up their cases. Pell himself set up a commission to review the allegations made against him.

In May 2015, Peter Saunders, a member of the Papal Child Protection Commission founded in 2014 , described Pell as "untenable for the Vatican" and adopted the allegations of the abuse victims. Saunders described the cardinal as "cold, hard-hearted and almost sociopathic " and advised Pope Francis to remove Pell from his offices. Pell threatened Saunders legal action, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi defended Pell against Saunders' allegations. Lombardi said that investigating and delivering judgments on individual cases is not the responsibility of the child protection commission, and Saunders does not speak for them. Pell denied having offered hush money to the nephew and victim of convicted pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale in order to have the allegations made against the perpetrator withdrawn.

Criminal proceedings

First trial against Pell and acquittal

Australian prosecutors examined police evidence in 2017 that George Pell himself sexually abused several boys between 1978 and 2001 as a priest in Ballarat and during his time as Archbishop of Melbourne. At the end of June 2017, it was announced that the police in the Australian state of Victoria had initiated a criminal investigation into suspected child abuse against Pell. He was charged with several sexual offenses against children and had to appear for a trial in Melbourne in late July 2017. At the first hearing, Pell had his lawyer deny all allegations and let it be known that he would plead innocent. It was the first time that such a high-ranking dignitary in the Vatican was investigated for allegations of abuse. The Vatican released Pell from his position as Vatican CFO for the duration of the proceedings. Pell had already described the allegations as "completely wrong" in May 2017, but admitted errors in dealing with abuse allegations against Catholic priests in the 1970s before an Australian abuse commission.

The Melbourne court began taking evidence in March 2018 , with around 50 witnesses heard. After the death of a witness before the taking of evidence, the public prosecutor withdrew one of several sexual abuse charges in March 2018 . After further hearings, the main proceedings against Pell were opened on May 1, 2018 . Pell was not allowed to leave Australia for the time being. In August 2018, the competent court imposed a strict media ban to prevent influencing the jury , which led to anger among Australian journalists. The ban on publication should apply until the judgment is pronounced. The case, which became known across Australia, continued to be reported by numerous foreign media outlets.

On December 11, 2018, the jury found Pell unanimously guilty of sexually abusing a twelve-year-old and a thirteen-year-old choirboy in late 1996. The charges remained officially unknown until February 26, 2019. The reason for this was a news blackout because of another pending investigation against Pell, which should not be influenced. Pell was initially released on bail .

On December 12, 2018, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had already released Pell and two other cardinals from their duties in the Council of Cardinals in October 2018 because of old age. Regarding the trial, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said the Holy See has the utmost respect for the Australian courts.

On February 26, 2019, the public prosecutor decided not to prosecute the allegations from 1976–1980 in Ballarat; the ban on reporting has been lifted. On February 27, Pell was arrested following the pleading on the sentence.

In Australia, the conviction was sharply criticized as a false judgment. Columnist Andrew Bolt spoke of a "reverse O. J. Simpson case " due to the lack of plausibility in his opinion of the allegations .

The sentence was announced on March 13, 2019 : Pell was sentenced to six years in prison; He also received an entry in the sex offender registry. The presiding judge Peter Kidd described the actions of Pell as "breathtakingly arrogant"; he abused his influential position and broke trust. Pell had already announced his appointment in February 2019 .

June 5, 2019 was set as the date for the opening of the appeal process. Pell said he would accept the appeal court's judgment and not go to the third instance . The prosecution stuck to their charges. On June 7, 2019, the appellate court adjourned its verdict and Pell had to remain in prison. On August 21, 2019, Pell's appeal was rejected with a majority of two judges' votes to one, and the court ordered that he be kept in prison. Pell's defense had unsuccessfully attempted to cast doubt on the credibility of the lead witness, who was an alleged victim of Pell at the age of 13.

Pell's attorneys announced they would consider another appeal to the Australian highest court; Pell continues to insist on his innocence. On September 17, 2019, the appeal was filed with the High Court of Australia . On October 9, 2019, the public prosecutor moved to dismiss Pell's renewed appeal. In November 2019, the High Court ruled without a hearing to deal with Pell's appeal.

In January 2020, Pell was transferred to Geelong maximum security prison after a drone illegally flown over Melbourne prison, where Pell was detained at the time of the overflight. In Australia, drones must keep a minimum distance of 120 meters from prisons .

The hearing in the High Court opened on March 11, 2020 and was adjourned on March 12 to give both parties time to comment.

On April 7, 2020, the High Court of Australia overturned the judgments of the previous instances with 7 to 0 votes and acquitted Pell of the allegations. The reasoning for the judgment stated that the jury of the lower court had not adequately considered the evidence. Among other things, it was testified by several witnesses that Pell was constantly accompanied by others after the solemn bishop's mass and that there was also constant coming and going in the sacristy, in which the witness allegedly was abused. Pell was subsequently released from prison.

Second case against Pell

After Pell's release in April 2020, a new police investigation was launched against George Pell. The cardinal is accused of having sexually abused a male victim in the 1970s.

Proceedings against journalists

At the end of March 2019, prosecutors brought charges against 23 journalists who were accused of breaching the news blackout in the Pell case.

Civil proceedings

In March 2019, the alleged victim of a George Pell personally alleged abuse case in Ballarat in the 1970s filed a civil lawsuit . In June 2019, another man made civil charges that Pell covered up sexual abuse by a religious priest in the 1980s .

Memberships

George Cardinal Pell was a member of the following institutions of the Roman Curia :

See also

Web links

Commons : George Pell  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Footnotes

  1. ^ A b George Pell: Court quashes cardinal's sexual abuse convictions. BBC News, April 7, 2020, accessed April 7, 2020 .
  2. ^ A b Livingstone, Tess (2004). George Pell: Defender of the Faith Down Under. San Francisco: Ignatius Press
  3. ↑ a b Our Archbishop - Biography: Cardinal George Pell , Archdiocese of Sydney, accessed April 7, 2020 (en.)
  4. ^ Communicato della Segretaria di Stato. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, April 13, 2013, accessed April 13, 2013 (Italian, with English translation).
  5. ^ The group of cardinals advises the Pope on reforming the Curia. Vatican Radio, April 13, 2013, archived from the original ; accessed on August 19, 2019 .
  6. ^ Nuova struttura di coordinamento degli affari economici e amministrativi della Santa Sede e dello Stato della Città del Vaticano. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, February 24, 2014, accessed August 19, 2019 (Italian).
  7. ^ Jake Niall: Richmond to stick with Cardinal George Pell, who holds Vice Patron role with club, until outcome of potential trial. Fox Sports Australia, July 19, 2017, accessed August 19, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Pope regrets sexual abuse by clergy. Tagesspiegel online, July 19, 2008, accessed on August 20, 2019 .
  9. ↑ The Vatican takes protection of the Curia Cardinal Pell. kath.net , June 1, 2015, accessed August 20, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Australian priest sentenced to long imprisonment. Spiegel online, August 31, 2017, accessed August 20, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Kerstin Ostendorf: A man of God doesn't do that. In: Lord's Day: Catholic church newspaper for the Archdiocese of Berlin . Volume 67, No. 7, February 19, 2017, p. 2.
  12. ↑ Cardinal Pell denies abuse. Zeit Online , July 26, 2017, accessed July 26, 2017 .
  13. ↑ Agathe Lukassek: Abuse: Cardinal Pell condemns - and the media are silent. Catholic.d, December 13, 2018, accessed August 21, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Suspicion of child abuse: investigation against Vatican chief financial officer . In: tagesschau.de . June 29, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  15. ↑ George Pell: Vatican chief financial officer temporarily resigns due to allegations of abuse. Spiegel Online , June 29, 2019, accessed on August 21, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Cardinal Pell: Vatican treasurer denies Australia sex offenses. BBC News, June 29, 2019, accessed August 21, 2019 . .
  17. ↑ Melissa Davey: George Pell hearing told new allegations against cardinal have been made to police. The Guardian , March 20, 2018, accessed August 22, 2019 .
  18. ↑ The Australian of March 2, 2018 / Tessa Akerman: Sex offense charge against George Pell is dropped.
  19. ↑ spiegel.de: Trial against confidants of the Pope opens on May 1, 2018.
  20. ↑ theguardian.com: George Pell pleads not guilty to historical sexual offense charges before trial - as it happened
  21. ↑ FAZ.net May 1, 2018: Australian hate figure
  22. ↑ Matthias Drobinski : Muzzle upsets Australia's journalists. Süddeutsche Zeitung from August 10, 2018
  23. ↑ Number three of the Vatican is on trial. Süddeutsche Zeitung from August 12, 2018
  24. ↑ Marco Bertolaso: A judgment that (almost) nobody speaks about. Deutschlandradio from December 14, 2018
  25. ↑ Volker Königkrämer: Almost Pope or child molester - who is the man whose trial nobody is allowed to report? star of August 13, 2018
  26. ↑ sueddeutsche.de February 26, 2019: Australian court found Cardinal Pell guilty of child abuse
  27. ↑ a b Matthias Rüb: vow of silence. Frankfurter Allgemeine from December 16, 2018
  28. ↑ Trial of high-ranking clergymen: Cardinal Pell convicted of child abuse . In: Spiegel Online . February 26, 2019 ( spiegel.de [accessed February 26, 2019]).
  29. ↑ https://www.katholisch.de/aktuelles/aktuelle-artikel/missrauch-kardinal-pell-verendungt-und-die-medien-schweigen
  30. ↑ kathisch.de December 13, 2018: Abuse: Cardinal Pell condemns - and the media are silent
  31. ↑ Curia Cardinal Pell convicted of child abuse. Spiegel online from February 26, 2018
  32. ↑ The Age , February 27, 2019: Pell starts jail time for sexual attacks on choir boys , accessed February 27, 2019
  33. ↑ PELL CASE: MORE DOUBTERS COME FORWARD. In: Daily Telegraph. February 27, 2019, accessed March 4, 2019 .
  34. ↑ Andrew Bolt, George Pell: 'Pell has been falsely convicted': Bolt. In: news.com.au. February 27, 2019, accessed March 4, 2019 . .
  35. ↑ On the conviction (as of March 13, 2019)
  36. ↑ Cardinal Pell wants to accept the appeal judgment. Catholic.de of May 27, 2019
  37. ↑ Cardinal George Pell: Prosecutors defend 'unimpeachable' verdict. BBC 6 June 2019
  38. ^ Judgment against Cardinal Pell: Appeal proceedings begin on June 5th. Tyrolean daily newspaper from March 6, 2019
  39. ↑ Waiting for the verdict. Domradio from June 7, 2019
  40. ↑ Vatican's former chief financial officer remains in custody. Time online , August 21, 2019, accessed August 22, 2019 .
  41. ↑ Victim advocates cheer as Pell appeal rejected: 'Hallelujah - proof there is a God'. The Guardian, August 21, 2019, accessed August 21, 2019 .
  42. ↑ Esther Blank: Child abuse: ex-Vatican chief financial officer George Pell flashes with appeal. In: www.nzz.ch. August 21, 2019, accessed August 22, 2019 .
  43. ↑ George Pell goes to Australia's highest court. Spiegel Online, September 17, 2019, accessed on September 17, 2019 .
  44. ^ Prosecutor requests that Cardinal Pell's appeal be rejected. Vatican News of October 9, 2019
  45. ^ Till Fähnders: On the way to the highest authority. In: www.faz.net. November 13, 2019, accessed November 13, 2019 .
  46. ↑ Media: Cardinal Pell moved to another prison - because of a drone. kathisch.de of January 12, 2020
  47. ↑ Australia: decision in Pell case postponed. Vatican News of March 12, 2020
  48. ↑ 2019 in review: How George Pell's case gripped the world. The New Daily, December 20, 2019, accessed March 13, 2020 .
  49. ↑ Till Fähnders: Does Cardinal Pell still have a chance? Frankfurter Allgemeine , March 12, 2020
  50. ↑ Salzburger Nachrichten: Injury witness in the Pell case accepts acquittal. Retrieved April 13, 2020 .
  51. ↑ Till Fähnders: Cardinal Pell released from prison , Frankfurter Allgemeine, April 7, 2020.
  52. ↑ New investigation against Cardinal George Pell. kathisch.de of April 14, 2020
  53. ↑ Again allegations of sexual abuse against Cardinal Pell. Rheinische Post from April 14, 2020
  54. ↑ Journalists should be punished for reporting on the Pell trial. In: www.faz.net. March 27, 2019, accessed March 27, 2019 .
  55. ↑ George Pell: Cardinal to be sued over 1970s abuse allegation. BBC March 4, 2019
  56. ^ New lawsuit against Australian Cardinal Pell. kathisch.de of June 8, 2019
  57. ^ New lawsuit against Australian Cardinal George Pell. Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland from June 8, 2019
  58. ↑ Cardinal Pell no longer prefect of the Vatican's secretariat economy. Catholic News Agency, February 26, 2019, accessed February 26, 2019 .
  59. ↑ Comunicato della Sala Stampa della Santa Sede. Holy See Press Office, June 29, 2017, accessed February 26, 2019 .
  60. ↑ Successor found for Cardinal Pell. Domradio from November 14, 2019
  61. ^ Nomina di Membro della Congregazione per i Vescovi . In: Holy See Press Office: Daily Bulletin of September 22, 2012.
  62. ↑ Conferma del Prefetto della Congregazione per gli Istituti di vita consacrata e le Società di vita apostolica e Nomine e Conferme dei Membri nel medesimo Dicastero . In: Holy See Press Office : Daily Bulletin of March 29, 2014.
  63. ^ Nomina di Membri e Consultori della Congregazione per l'Evangelizzazione dei Popoli . In: Holy See Press Office: Daily Bulletin of September 13, 2014.
  64. ^ Nomina di Membri del Pontificio Consiglio per la Promozione della Nuova Evangelizzazione In: Holy See Press Office: Daily Bulletin of January 5, 2011.
predecessor Office successor
Thomas Francis Little Archbishop of Melbourne
1996-2001 		Denis Hart
Edward Bede Cardinal Clancy Archbishop of Sydney
2001-2014 		Anthony Fisher OP
- Croix de l Ordre du Saint-Sepulcre.svg Grand Prior of the Australian Lieutenancy Southern of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem (from 2001 to New South Wales)
1995–2001 		-
Edward Bede Cardinal Clancy Croix de l Ordre du Saint-Sepulcre.svg Grand Prior of the Australian Lieutenancy of New South Wales of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
2001–2015 		Anthony Fisher OP
personal data
SURNAME Pell, George
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pell, George Cardinal (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian cardinal and Archbishop of Sydney
DATE OF BIRTH June 8, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Ballarat , Victoria, Australia