George Pell is staying on at the Vatican? Whatever, he is now irrelevant to Australians

By Kristina Keneally
Guardian
June 14, 2016

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/14/george-pell-is-staying-on-at-the-vatican-whatever-he-is-now-irrelevant-to-australians

‘I don’t give two hoots whether Pell stays on or resigns. The man is utterly irrelevant to Australians, Catholic or not. In fact, Pell is more than irrelevant. He’s disrespected.’ Photo by Alessandro Bianchi

Cardinal George Pell turned 75 last Wednesday. Usually I don’t mark the birthdays of princes of the church. I’m sure they’ve got enough people around them – fellow cardinals, under-secretaries, Curia officials, Opus Dei acolytes, housekeepers – to organise a cake for morning tea. Besides, there’s nothing I could get for the man who already has everything he ever wanted: a little red hat, a gold ring and the pope’s ear.

But this particular birthday is one in which I thought I might take more than a passing interest. After all, church practice asks cardinals to tender their resignation to the pope at age 75. Kind of like a reverse gift from the birthday boy back to the church.

Before we all get carried away with anticipation that Pell is about to lose his privileged position, allow me to explain: in the Vatican, just because a resignation is offered doesn’t mean it is accepted. This isn’t Australian politics. The pope can pretty much do what he wants with said resignation, including rejecting it outright or filing it in a bottom drawer for when it’s really needed.

Pope Francis is not accepting Pell’s resignation.

Never mind that the Australian government’s royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse has twice has twice preferred the evidence of others over Pell’s recollection. Never mind that the cardinal’s third appearance before the commission a few months ago was a public relations disaster. Never mind Pell’s farcical evidence that he knew nothing about rampant sexual abuse in Ballarat because there was a conspiracy to keep him in the dark. Never mind that staff from the Melbourne Catholic Education Office contradicted Pell’s testimony.

It seems Cardinal George Pell is the only person in the global church capable of cleaning up the Vatican bank. His apparently indispensable skills – whatever they are – are needed to restore order and integrity to the financial operations of the Holy See.

I expected to be outraged by the pope’s decision. I do confess to being a little bit angry after reading that Francis had announced “tough new laws” to deal with bishops who failed to act on reports of child sexual abuse, despite the fact the church already has laws that deal with bishops in such circumstances. In the midst of reports of Vatican inaction and stalling on child sexual abuse, the pope reached for the political play of “tough new laws” with an enthusiasm that would make a state premier blush. Give me a break.

Call me a cynic, but here’s my prediction: the royal commission will find for a third time that Pell’s evidence is not credible. And when the royal commission reaches these findings the pope will not reach for Pell’s resignation letter in his bottom drawer. Instead Francis will do nothing. These tough new laws will remain unused.

What I realised this week is that I just don’t care anymore. I don’t give two hoots whether Pell stays on or resigns. The man is utterly irrelevant to Australians, Catholic or not. In fact, Pell is more than irrelevant. He’s disrespected. Whatever capacity he once had to speak in the public square in Australia on any matter is completely nullified. He has even lost the ability to visit Australia: if his health would permit it, the public and media would hardly welcome him.

So here sits Cardinal Pell: 75 years old, in exile, and squarely in the middle of two great church scandals – child sexual abuse and the Vatican bank. What a glorious place for his career to arrive.

I can’t help but think of Jesus’ words on these two subjects. On children, Jesus advocated for them, noting their special holiness and innocence, demanding they be treated lovingly and with care. The bankers and the money changers? Jesus threw them out of the temple.

So happy birthday Cardinal Pell. Carry on counting the money inside the privileged and protected walls of the Vatican. Whatever.