Australian police charge Vatican treasurer over historical sexual assaults

[webfact]

Australian police charge Vatican treasurer over historical sexual assaults

 

FILE PHOTO Australian Cardinal George Pell leaves at the end of a meeting with the victims of sex abuse, at the Quirinale hotel in Rome, Italy, March 3, 2016. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi/File Photo

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police said on Thursday they have charged the Vatican's treasurer, Australian Cardinal George Pell, with multiple sexual assault offences.

 

"Cardinal Pell is facing multiple charges in respect of historic sexual offences," Victoria state police deputy commissioner Shane Patton told a news conference in Melbourne.

 

"There are multiple complainants relating to those charges," he said. Pell was charged by summons to appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 18, Patton said.

 

Pell's Vatican spokesman and a spokeswoman for the Australian Catholic church did not respond immediately to emails seeking comment.

 

Patton gave no other details of the charges and would not take questions from the media.

 

Pell, 76, was a priest in the rural Victorian town of Ballarat before he was appointed Archbishop of Melbourne. He has lived at the Vatican since 2014.

 

(Reporting by Byron Kaye and Tom Westbrook; Editing by Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-29

[darksidedog]

Sorry George, but if you want to touch up little boys in a swimming pool, you have to suffer the consequences, regardless of who you are,. Australia is not Thailand.

[nev]

Sicko, to many child molester's are protected by being part of a religion and ruin many lives.

About time they faced long jail times if proven to be guilty.

[Trentham]

This so called "cardinal" is an arrogant, power hungry  man with no Christian principles. He has been at the forefront for the last couple of decades in public and shows absolutely no humility as a man of God should. There have been rumours for years about him being a pedophile and indeed he shared an apartment with one another pedophile and even accompanied him to court when he was charged and found guilty.

 

Hooray, hooray, hooray.

[Prbkk]

There is a God after all. Vile old sleazebag.

[DoctorG]

Good work Victoria Police.

[Smarter Than You]

To conceal their homosexuality from a judgemental and discriminatory public many gay men flocked to the Catholic priesthood and ended up becoming paedophiles.

Society has since evolved and acceptance of homosexuality continues to grow by the day - the church , however, has seemingly learnt nothing.

Organised religion is fast becoming the last remaining refuge of bigots, racists, misogynists and yes ...paedophiles.

[smotherb]

With so many proven pedophile priests, how does a Catholic rationalize their religion; especially since so much attempted cover-up has been made by those in the church's hierarchy?

 

We are not talking about isolated incidents, mind you. Cases of pedophile priests have been reported almost everywhere the Catholic church is present--makes me wonder how many cases have gone unreported. 

[Belzybob]

The Catholic church is not a religion, it is a business run by self-serving people. Founded on ignorance and the exploration of fear, just like most religions, it is a disreputable and most foul organization.

[wavemanwww]

Religion in General. The biggest CON on this planet. No tax. no records. A government religion to legally do what they want. And do it for centuries and we as, normal humans, must forgive this scum!

Well I think outside the box. Never forgive or forget this low life.

[CutiePi]

Again validating my conversion experience from Christianity to atheism.

[metisdead]

An offensive post has been removed. 

[Kiwi1]

Whatever the outcome of the sexual assault charges, seems to me Pell and his confederates in the Australian catholic hierarchy seem to have deliberately obstructed the course of justice for decades. 

How do they get away with this?

 

[4MyEgo]

Sorry to disappoint you all, but as Cardinal George works and lives in Vatican City, i.e. a state of its own within Italy, Australia cannot extradite him, you see Vatican City has immunity, and Australia granted that to them back in the 70's.

 

Although Cardinal George has stated that he will return to face the music, I am of the opinion that he won't, a doctors certificate will say he is too old to travel, now if the Pope gave him his marching orders, he would have to go, but to Australia to face the music, I doubt it, he will end up fleeing to some country where Australia has no extradition in place.

 

Now on the other hand, if he returned to Australia to face the music, I will be a monkey's uncle, but that ain't gonna happen, I will bet my best nuts on that ! 

[simple1]

12 hours ago, Kiwi1 said:

Whatever the outcome of the sexual assault charges, seems to me Pell and his confederates in the Australian catholic hierarchy seem to have deliberately obstructed the course of justice for decades. 

How do they get away with this?

 

Incorrect, not "seem", the Royal Commission identified the Church deliberately obstructed police investigations.