Vatican in Middle of War of Words between Cardinal and Abuse Survivor

The Guardian
June 5, 2015

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jun/05/vatican-cardinal-george-pell-abuse-survivor-row

George Pell, an Australian cardinal. Photograph: Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images

George Pell has always courted – some say relished – controversy. From the time the staunchly conservative Australian cardinal suggested that sex abuse had never been a systemic problem in the Catholic church, to his refusal in the past to grant communion to gay Catholics – saying God did not make “Adam and Steve” – Pell’s uncompromising style has ruffled feathers.

Now Pell – a senior official in charge of church finances – is embroiled in a bruising fight of a different sort: one that has pit him against a layman, Peter Saunders, who was handpicked by Pope Francis last year to help rehabilitate the church following years of sex abuse scandals and cover-ups.

This week Saunders claimed in an interview in Australia that Pell’s allegedly “callous” past treatment of sex abuse victims was “almost sociopathic”.

In response, Pell – who has vehemently denied allegations that he once sought to bribe an abuse victim in return for his silence, among other cover-up allegations – said he would seek advice on legal action against Saunders, who is a survivor of sex abuse and a member of the pope’s commission on abuse in the church. Pell has previously apologised to victims of clergy sex abuse for the pain they endured.

The loaded exchange occurred after witnesses spoke out against Pell at a hearing before an Australian royal commission on child abuse. Claims that Pell ignored or sought to silence allegations of abuse are more than a decade old. Pell has denied all of the claims and was summoned to testify at the next hearing by the royal commission. A date has not yet been set.

On Thursday Australia’s Catholic archbishops issued a statement backing Pell as a “man of integrity who is committed to the truth and to helping others, particularly those who have been hurt or who are struggling”.

The Vatican, which rarely intervenes in such matters, has issued two statements since the fight broke out. In the first, it emphasised that Saunders was not speaking in his capacity as a member of the pope’s commission. The second, from the papal abuse commission, added that it was important for people in the position of authority to respond to claims of abuse “promptly, transparently and with the clear intent of enabling justice to be achieved”.

Jimmy Burns, the author of an upcoming biography on Pope Francis, said: “There seems to be two arms of the Francis machinery in conflict. Also, there is an element of administrative dysfunctionality at work. It shows the kind of real challenge the pope is facing in terms of reforming and restructuring the Vatican.”

He said the church’s legacy of sex abuse was the critical issue in how the church is perceived from the outside. “Saunders is a man who is of considerable integrity. He is not someone who can simply be dismissed by the Vatican,” Burns added.

John Allen, a veteran Vatican reporter and associate editor at the website Crux, said: “This is just kind of who George Pell is. He’s a back-alley bruiser. Everywhere he goes he has made enemies, but you will never find a man with more loyal friends.”

Among Pell’s allies, Allen noted, are English-speaking cardinals and bishops including Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York.

Pope Francis has tended to stand by officials if they are publicly under attack and there are no signs that he is backing off from his support of Pell. If he were to do so, it would mean undermining a man he has personally charged with tackling another crucial issue of his papacy: Vatican financial reform. In that, too, Pell faces serious challenges.

The Australian strongly backed a proposal floated last year that would have transformed the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) – the Vatican bank – and created Vatican Asset Management (VAM), a company that would hand control of the assets to outside managers. The grand vision of Pell and others who supported the idea was that it would create a massive “Catholic fund”, with dioceses contributing their assets from all around the world, said one insider familiar with the plans.

When the IOR’s board disagreed, Pell swept them aside and established a new board. He also ushered in a new president, Jean-Baptiste Douville de Franssu. But people familiar with the matter say the proposal was rejected by the pope and the cardinal’s commission, who were charged with reviewing the idea.

“There was an internal backlash that had to do with the impression that Pell has accumulated too much power around himself and that he was setting himself up as a tinhorn dictator,” said Allen.

A spokesman for the secretariat for the economy – Pell’s office – denied that the pope had rejected the VAM proposal and said it remained “in the mix”. “It may have been delayed but not set aside,” he said.

Internal Vatican frustration with Pell seemed evident after an article this year in the Italian magazine L’Espresso, citing leaked documents, detailed half a million euros in expenses claimed by Pell’s office. A spokesman for the cardinal defended the expenses and said they reflected one-time costs.

Observers say Pell is not the only man who has been caught in a difficult position. When Saunders and another abuse survivor, Marie Collins, were appointed to the papal commission on abuse, the move was viewed with scepticism by victims’ advocacy groups who were wary that the two would be used as mere symbols to improve the image of the church without truly reforming it.

“Most of the advocacy groups think they are being taken advantage of. Both [Saunders and Collins] are extremely savvy. I would say about Peter that he is in a tough spot and trying to figure out how to stay true to himself,” said Allen.

Asked about criticism that he was taking advantage of his position on the papal commission and was not in a position to judge individual cases, Saunders told the Guardian in an email that he was doing God’s work. “The protection of children is what it’s all about and Pell and his kind are a serious threat to that,” he said.

He added: “You should see some of the amazing messages of support I am getting from all over the world … from people thanking me for speaking out / and not being intimidated by Pell and his kind. They have no place in a church of love.”