Act II of the Divine Drama of George Pell

The Crikey
July 28, 2016

https://www.crikey.com.au/2016/07/28/what-will-pope-francis-do-about-george-pell-sex-abuse-accusations/

With forces inside and outside the Vatican conspiring against George Pell, Pope Francis is in a bit of a pickle, writes Vaticanologist Michael Hewitt-Gleeson.


Last night, ABC’s 7.30 showed several men who accused Cardinal George Pell of sexual assault. The Sano Task Force of Victoria Police has been investigating multiple complaints of sexual abuse by Pell. They range from the 1970s to the 1990s, when Pell established the Catholic Church’s response to sexual abuse allegations. Pell describes the claims as “totally untrue and utterly wrong” and has asked for an investigation into whether a conspiracy exists against him between Victoria Police and the ABC.

What will Pope Francis do with him now? Will Pell come back to Australia? And what would that mean for the Vatican power structure?