The stunning High Court intervention in Australia’s most contentious case of alleged clergy abuse will reverberate from Canberra to the Vatican and among abuse survivors in Melbourne and Ballarat.
The findings are expected to be highly critical of Pell’s failure, alongside other figures in the church in the 1970s and 80s, to stop the abuse after he learned it was happening.The High Court decision does not repudiate Pell’s accuser, a former choir boy who testified that he and a friend were allegedly indecently assaulted more than 20 years ago by Pell, then Archbishop of Melbourne, at St Patrick’s Cathedral.
This evidence should have caused a jury to have reasonable doubt about Pell’s guilt. It should also have caused the Court of Appeal majority, Chief Justice Anne Ferguson and Court of Appeal President Christ Maxwell, to have misgivings about the jury’s verdict. The former choirboy first told police in 2015 that he and a fellow chorister were indecently assaulted by Pell in 1996 after he caught them drinking altar wine in the priest’s sacristy shortly after Sunday mass.
Separate criminal proceedings against Pell, based on allegations by multiple witnesses that he sexually abused them at a Ballarat swimming pool nearly 50 years ago, were discontinued by the DPP.
At the end of the day, Pell will be held to account for his actions to his God. We must respect the ruling of the High Court, but I feel sorry for the many individuals who were brave enough to come forward. Be strong in knowing the truth.
🤬
The only possible outcome. If the High Court had not found the jury erred in failing to find reasonable doubt, Australians could be locked up willy nilly in no-evidence-he said-she said cases and justice would be damned. I hope the aggrieved plaintiffs'lawyers help them see truth
Shame on the High Court ruling
This verdict does not change my opinion about the man and the Catholic Church.
Read the judgment and it is exactly what his defenders have been saying all along. He was never guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Justice has finally been served
Thank god. Are children expected to rape themselves?!
Evil walks free.
Tbh it was always on the cards, as it was a flimsy case,maybe that’s why they chose it,a bit like prince Andrew and the 17yo surely they can do better if they really want to nail these people One thing for sure the fat lady hasn’t sung yet on Pell and the cabal of ‘alleged pedos’
I hope he keeps his testosteroneless cock firmly inside his naughty pants!! 🤬
What a joke! He is getting away with it laughing
There's so much reasonable doubt that he's innocent...
This is good news. It restores trust in the Australian judiciary and gives hope that no one can be incarcerated on evidence of such poor quality, regardless of whether they committed incriminated acts or not.
I guess his god will not treat him kindly.
This is a disgrace that George Pell has been released and these faceless judges should be ashamed. Time for a clean out of these so called judges.
A clear reminder of who controls the country. No such thing as justice. Better duck for cover Pell, you were probably safer behind bars.
What a load of shit. The Catholic Church had so much power over families back then, they (the Bishops, Cardinals, Priests etc) most definitely took advantage of infants. The georgepell pell ‘s of the world should take a mandatory lie detector test then locked up! Sad day 2day.
Gross
Oxygen thief. 🖕🤓
Cardinal Pell be defrocked is crap
Friends in high places
Do the people get to know where he’s going.. shun him
“A significant possibility” ... what does that even mean? P 0.05 ? auspol
Huh... he worked that well.. with all that’s going on Favouritism.. disgusting.. He deserved to stay there regardless of his age.. he didn’t consider those young boys whose lives he destroyed
Money church paid his way out., how dare he
A nice cruise holiday would be good and when they tell him to throw me a bouy he will know what to do.
Good.
I wonder how much money exchanged hands in this decision 😡😔
Fricken disgraceful!!! Australia, in that respect, is pathetic.
I would like to see the make up of the High Court bench, how many belong to the church of pedophilia? No wonder victims do not want to come forward & report these criminals. I stand with the victims.
Those in high places have friends in high places who defend and protect their friends in high places
This!
The original trial was a communist show trial by the People’s Democratic Republic of Victoria.
I have no faith left. I have be abandoned by my religion and now our system of justice. This is verdict is more than depressing.
What a joke
God is good and our prays worked. Congratulations for an innocent man walking free.
The just system if littered with Paedophiles
It was obvious to all and sundry that there was 'reasonable doubt' in the Pell case. The High Court made the only decision it could.
Shameful ending to this article
Horrific justice R.I.P Australia.
What a shit legal system we have! Only Abbott and Jones are celebrating right now!
I’m appalled
Nice timing high court! People will forget this news next minute during this pandemic.
Victims brave. I believe you all.
No flights to Rome for a while. I’m sure there are more charges to pursue.
And you call this justice? Absolutely proves there’s no justice, rich Catholic church doing its usual cover up.
We have to remember that laws are made by those in power to protect those in and with power Lord Acton, expressed this opinion to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887 'Power tends to corrupt, & absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.' He called it!
Plenty of newly-minted legal scholars here I see!
Really? Like what was the rationale? Gutted.
Well i guess this isn't the Castle
Thoughts turn immediately to his victims. Unfathomable grief. Only solace is he’ll be fighting off civil cases until he drops. He’s free. But not really.
Well surprise, surprise. Only in Australia would this kind of bullshit happen. The Catholic Church gets away with another one.
Disgusting. Is anything beyond corruption?
F O U N D G U I L T Y B Y A J U R Y ! PedoPell will always be PedoPell
Pathetic and so disrespectful to the victims.
There is no justice. The rich continue to buy their way out of prisons. Victims are ignored. I hope other victims have the courage to come forward. I bet Andrew Bolt is touching himself.
Vomiting 🤮 fuc. You All
Good luck moderating the comments given defamation laws and the Catholic church's legal eagles!
there is no place on earth too forbidding ........no aventure too dangerous too dare...... no dream of wealth and glory too impossible...for the man who would be Pope
Many of us may not like this judgement, but we should accept the ruling if the court... bebetterthanbolt
😱
I suggest he gets a free princess cruise to northern Italy.
positive fyi Pontifex
Disgraceful!
Told you! Our government only looks after people doing the wrong thing !
Disgraceful!
Pedophiles look out for other pedophiles.
Trial by jury now dead for those with resources in my opinion I hope the Justices and Barristers are very proud of themselves ?
Praise the lord! God knows everything
2020 keeps on bringing bad news. Such a shit year.
👎
so ... a trial by jury is now irrelevant!
I'm appalled.
the church can afford to pay a massive legal bill An ordinary priest would go to jail
Pedos with power or money always get an easier ride than your lesser status pedo.
Absolutely disgraceful. At least he can't escape to the Vatican.
He should celebrate by going on a nice cruise.
Is it the 1st of April again? This is a fucking joke! George Pell is a paedo and was convicted by a jury.
High Court of Australia is corrupt.
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