lederhosen: (Default)
lederhosen ([personal profile] lederhosen) wrote2008-07-10 08:41 am

For crying out loud...

I am not in the least surprised by this story, which broke while I was on holiday, but it's still pretty appalling:

Cardinal Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney, wrote to the victim, Anthony Jones, on February 14, 2003, claiming his complaint of sexual assault could not be substantiated because an investigator had found that no other victims had come forward and that the priest, Father Terence Goodall, had denied the allegations.

However, documents obtained by the ABC's Lateline show that on the same day he wrote to Mr Jones, Cardinal Pell wrote to a second victim - who was nine when Father Goodall abused him - to say he was satisfied with the truth of that man's complaint.

Three weeks earlier, Cardinal Pell had received a report from an independent investigation by Howard Murray into Father Goodall. This advised him that the complaints of both men should be upheld, but Cardinal Pell's letter to Mr Jones directly contradicted that advice.


Later this month: World Youth Day!

[identity profile] nefaria.livejournal.com 2008-07-09 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Sigh, it's the cover-ups that perpetuate the crimes.

[identity profile] silverblue.livejournal.com 2008-07-10 12:26 am (UTC)(link)
Stuff like this is why I'm getting absolutely frustrated and angry at the moment.

[identity profile] lederhosen.livejournal.com 2008-07-10 08:40 am (UTC)(link)
I know you already know this, but I really don't equate the 'leadership' with the congregation, who mostly seem to be doing their best to pull the hierarchy screaming and kicking into at least the 20th century...

[identity profile] silverblue.livejournal.com 2008-07-10 11:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, man, not with you!

With Pell. With the current hardliner swingback.

It's like they held another election and voted Howard back in!

[identity profile] lederhosen.livejournal.com 2008-07-11 08:02 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, man, not with you!

Oh, I understood that :-) Just saying it because it seemed to bear repeating.