Cardinal George Pell has made his third appearance before Australia’s royal commission on child abuse. Speaking for four hours on a video link from Rome, the cardinal said the Church had made “enormous mistakes”. But he said it was “nonsense” to suggest that he had known about the offences committed by Gerald Ridsdale, a priest who was later convicted of serial child abuse. Pell said clerics who knew about the abuse had kept him “in the dark”.
What the British media are saying
In the Herald Sun, Andrew Bolt said Pell’s denials did not put him in a good light. Ridsdale’s abuse ‘was known by several fellow priests —
including a cousin and friends of Pell — as well as by his bishop” and several others. “And this when Pell was the episcopal vicar for education in the diocese. At the very least, he seems to have failed in his job.” Miranda Devine of Australia’s Daily Telegraph pointed to the cardinal’s later record as Archbishop of Melbourne. “Sick of the dithering inaction of his fellow bishops”, Pell drew up a response which, at the time, “was groundbreaking. Not perfect, but it acknowledged a problem, helped victims and referred offenders to police if possible.” The current attacks on him are “profoundly unfair”.
What US Catholics are saying
At Australia’s Catholic Weekly, Monica Doumit warned readers not to take media presentations as the whole story. In a detailed analysis, she suggested that many of the oft-repeated stories about Cardinal Pell were open to question. It isn’t about defending the cardinal, Doumit said, but about wanting the truth to come to light. “The desire to distort and cover up the truth is what led us into this mess in the first place.” John Allen at Crux said the cardinal has divided Australia. “I spent 72 hours in the country this week, and spoke to scores of national and local outlets on the Pell story. What I picked up is that many Australians believe Pell is getting a long-overdue comeuppance, while others think he’s being railroaded.”
The most overlooked story of the week ✣Killing of Christians is on the rise in Nigeria
What happened?
Figures released by a Christian charity show a 62 per cent increase in killings of Christians in northern Nigeria in the past year. The report, from Open Doors and the Christian Association of Nigeria, said that in 2015 there were 4,028 killings and 198 church attacks, up from 2,484 killings and 108 attacks in 2014.
Why was it under-reported?
The conflict in Nigeria is still seen as a local affair, as opposed to Islamist insurgencies elsewhere, which seek to bring violence to the West. So even though the clash with Boko Haram has become steadily bloodier, the coverage has been minimal. Much of the violence has been carried out by a group that is not yet on the media’s radar. According to Open Doors, Muslim Hausa-Fulani tribesmen are conservatively estimated to have carried out more than 1,500 religiously motivated killings.
What will happen next?
Lisa Pearce, chief executive of Open Doors UK and Ireland, says Christians in northern Nigeria had suffered violence and marginalisation for decades. In parts of the region Christianity has almost been “wiped out”, she explains. “Mutual trust has disappeared and Muslims and Christians have become increasingly separate groups, clustering together in towns, suburbs and rural areas.” Boko Haram is already the world’s deadliest terror group for Christians. It is thought the conflict will only get worse.
✣The Week Ahead
The initiative known as “24 Hours for the Lord” will take place from today. Most dioceses are opening their churches to hold Confessions and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament throughout the day. Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury will lead a penitential service at the church of Holy Apostles and Martyrs in Wallasey.
Tomorrow Fr Michael Czerny SJ, of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, will be speaking at a conference at Leeds Trinity entitled: “A poor Church for the poor.” The conference has been organised by the Las Casas Institute.
A concert marking Augustus Pugin’s 204th birthday will take place tomorrow at St Augustine’s church in Ramsgate. The Victoria Consort will perform Tavener’s Lament for Jerusalem to mark the occasion. Tickets are £10 and are available on the door. St Augustine’s is located on St Augustine’s Road, on Ramsgate’s Westcliff. The postcode is CT11 9PA.
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