Cardinal George Pell to walk free
as child sex conviction quashed
78-year-old acquitted on all five counts of sexually abusing
two 13-year-old choirboys
as child sex conviction quashed
78-year-old acquitted on all five counts of sexually abusing
two 13-year-old choirboys
AFP
In this Feb. 26, 2019, photo, Cardinal George Pell leaves the County Court in Melbourne, Australia.
Image Credit: AP
Brisbane: Cardinal George Pell will walk free from jail after winning a long-running battle to overturn his child sex abuse convictions in Australia’s High Court on Tuesday.
The 78-year-old was acquitted on all five counts of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in the 1990s, when the court overturned earlier decisions of a jury and lower appeals court.
The verdict is a major victory for Pell, who had steadfastly maintained his innocence.
At 78, Pell is not so far from standing before a Higher Court where his innocence or guilt will be made known.
New claims of child sexual abuse by Cardinal Pell
exposed in ABC TV’s REVELATION
Newcastle HeraldWatch the concluding 2 episodes of the ground-breaking documentary series on ABC TV and iview on Tuesday 31 March and Thursday 2 April at 8:30pm
And in Revelation’s cinematic, feature-length finale, explosive new allegations of child sexual abuse by Cardinal George Pell are exposed.
The world-first exclusive reveals the gripping story of an individual from a small town in Australia, pitted against a former Prince of the Church. “I chose to remain silent, never to tell a soul, and I got through a good 40 years of that,” says the survivor of sexual abuse, who publicly reveals the story of his tormented boyhood for the first time. “I want to heal now. I’ve carried that burden for long enough.”
With him are other men describing how predatory priests and brothers took advantage of vulnerable children in the Catholic community of Ballarat.
For the first time in interviews, priests describe the attitude amongst fellow holy men at the time these crimes were committed. “Abusing children wasn’t the desperate thing it is now,” says one Ballarat priest.
Yes it was, you just got away with it then, at least until you stand before God.
Revelation’s epic finale transports viewers to the heart of power in the global Catholic Church, as it battles for the hearts and minds of the faithful amid the cover up of crimes against children for decades.
Australia’s most senior Catholic, Archbishop Mark Coleridge, tells Ferguson that at the heart of child abuse within the Church is the dark and destructive use of power. “When I look back now, I cringe. I thought I knew what I was dealing with, I didn’t have a clue.”
Spoiler Alert: You still don't have a clue! Until you recognize the destruction of innocence, the violation of the sacred, the murder of the soul of those children of God, you will not know the evil that is among you.
*Cardinal Pell was convicted in 2018 of sexually abusing two choirboys in Melbourne Cathedral in the 1990s. The High Court is considering his application to appeal the verdict. He denies all claims of sexual abuse.
Revelation is an In Films production for the ABC. Major production investment from Screen Australia. Developed and financed with the assistance of Screen NSW. ABC Commercial holds worldwide distribution rights.
Judge Declares Mistrial in Priest Charles Hanel
Child Sex Abuse Case
The pastor of Queen of Apostles Church in Pewaukee has been charged with child sex abuse.
A judge declared a mistrial in the sex abuse case of Pewakee priest Charles Hanel on Friday, March 13.
On Tuesday, March 10, the 15-year-old girl who has accused priest Charles Hanel of sexually abusing her took the witness stand in Hanel’s trial. The girl told the court that Hanel inappropriately touched her while she was confessing her sins at Queen of Apostles Church in Pewaukee, where Hanel is the pastor.
The girl was 13 years old at the time of the alleged sexual abuse in December 2017. She has accused Hanel of touching her best (breast?) and inner thigh overtop of her clothes in a church confessional booth.
Hanel was on trial for second-degree sexual assault of a child. He has been placed on leave by the archdiocese pending the outcome of this case.
The girl told her parents of the alleged abuse about six months later and Hanel was arrested soon after. He has denied the allegations.
Hanel has a status hearing scheduled for April 22.
This unfortunate report gives no reason for the mistrial.
Request to Vatican to investigate Archbishop Nienstedt
in limbo
in limbo
..
It's a test case of new Vatican rules to discipline bishops
It's a test they are failing quite spectacularly
By Jean Hopfensperger Star Tribune
Tom Johnson, the clergy abuse ombudsman for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, submitted a formal request to the Vatican last July to investigate possible misconduct by former Archbishop John Nienstedt.
He’s still awaiting a response.
The Vatican announced new protocols in May for holding bishops accountable for clergy abuse, not just priests. Johnson, a former Hennepin County attorney, said he still doesn’t know why the Vatican isn’t adhering to its own standard of responding within 30 days.
“It’s a huge problem when the church is trying to restore trust,” said Johnson, who called it a “test case” of the Vatican’s much-touted protocols.
The Vatican’s representative in Washington did not respond to questions about the Nienstedt case.
Nienstedt oversaw the archdiocese from 2008 to 2015, when he resigned following the Ramsey County attorney’s decision to file civil and criminal charges against the archdiocese for failing to protect children. The case centered on the archdiocese’s failure to discipline the former priest Curtis Wehmeyer, who had a history of sexual misconduct and was charged with sexually abusing two boys at his St. Paul church.
Tom Johnson, at right, with current Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Ramsey County Attorney John Choi.
Johnson’s complaint seeking a Vatican investigation referred to Nienstedt’s failure to discipline Wehmeyer and his misrepresentation of his relationship with Wehmeyer to county investigators.
It also sites an 2005 incident that occurred when Nienstedt was bishop of the New Ulm Diocese, and a separate indicent in which Nienstedt allegedly asked two boys who attended a World Youth Day event in Germany to undress in front of him in a hotel room, purportedly to dry off their clothes from the rain.
Johnson, now battling cancer, said he’s decided to speak out because of his experience meeting with survivors of clergy sex abuse. Many would have been spared abuse had their bishops disciplined known offenders.
“When you sit down with someone and they say that they haven’t told anyone about this abuse for 30 years, you just get shivers,” Johnson said.
Determining whether Nienstedt should be investigated should not have been difficult, Johnson said.
“The foundation of my allegations have been known for five-plus years,” said Johnson. “The Vatican has been aware for some time.”
The Vatican announced its new protocols for investigating and disciplining bishops in May of 2019 in response to growing demands that bishops who perpetrated abuses or allowed it to happen under their watch should be disciplined.
Well it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Many Catholics were hopeful that the bishops, not just priests, would see justice. At least 46 U.S. bishops have been accused of child sex abuse, or abuse or misconduct with an adult, according to Bishops Accountability, a national databank of clergy abuse documentation.
That includes Bishop Michael Hoeppner of the Crookston Diocese, whose investigation is overseen by Twin Cities Archbishop Bernard Hebda.
Hebda also was responsible for determining whether the Nienstedt request met the threshold for an investigation and forwarding it to the Vatican. He was not available Tuesday for comment.
The Vatican’s failure to respond to the request for a Nienstedt investigation points to the need for bishop investigations to be conducted by seasoned investigators rather than insiders, said Zach Zeckser, a national spokesman for Survivors Network of Those Abuse By Priests. (SNAP)
He notes that it was Johnson, not an archdiocese official, who has put the spotlight on the stalled Nienstedt case.
Said Zeckser: “I think the more secular officials get involved in these cases, the more traction,” he said.
Which is why the church resists. Let's pray for Tom Johnson; we need more people like him.
Catholic priest from the Fens steps down
following historic child sex abuse claims
Louise HepburnCambs Times
Our Lady of Good Counsel and
St Peter Roman Catholic Church.
A Roman Catholic priest from March has voluntarily stepped down while he is investigated for historic child sex abuse claims relating to his former ministry in Peru.
A statement released by Bishop Alan Hopes and the Diocese of East Anglia on Friday (March 20) explains Father Michael Ryan had recently been accused of the non-recent sexual abuse of children.
It says he voluntarily stepped down from his responsibilities while the investigation is ongoing and that the accusations have been reported to the relevant authorities, including police.
The statement, uploaded to the Catholic Church in March website, reads: “Whilst the investigation is ongoing, Father Ryan has voluntarily withdrawn from all public ministry. This is a neutral act which makes no judgement on his guilt or innocence and is in keeping with the national safeguarding policies and procedures of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
“I would like to affirm that the safeguarding of children and vulnerable people is of paramount importance to the Catholic Church and the Diocese is co-operating fully with the statutory authorities in this investigation.”
Father Ryan was serving the parish for Our Lady of Good Counsel & St Peter in St John’s Road, March. Mass services were also held at St Peter & St Paul’s Anglican church in Chatteris.
The statement continues: “I know that this must have come as a shock to you all, but I would ask you to keep all who are involved this ongoing investigation, including Father Ryan in your prayers. It would be inappropriate for me to make any further comments at the present but please be assured of my prayers for you all at this time.”
I would suggest that you also keep any possible victims of his alleged child sexual abuse in your prayers. Ryan may need your prayers more, but victims deserve them more.
According to the Diocese website, Father Ryan was ordained on September 12, 1981. He was installed as the parish priest of Our Lady of Good Counsel & St Peter in November 2018. Bishop Hopes attended the ceremony alongside representatives from across the Fenland community.
As temporary measure, the Parish of March & Chatteris is under the care of the Parish of St. Luke Peterborough.
A Suffolk Constabulary spokesman said: “We can confirm we are investigating allegations of non-recent sexual abuse. Enquiries are on-going. No arrests have been made at this stage.”
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