ROME
Sydney Morning Herald
Nick Miller
Europe Correspondent
Rome: Was Tim Minchin wrong? Hilariously, outrageously, toe-tappingly wrong?
As this week of hearings in Rome went on, there has emerged a theory that the interests of transparent, feet-to-the-fire justice have been better served by Cardinal Pell not ‘coming home’ after all.
By sitting on his little dais in front of his video screen in the back room of the Hotel Quirinale, this theory goes, Cardinal Pell placed himself in the hot glare of the world’s attention.
TV cameras from around Europe covered his arrival and departure at the hotel – and sought out, regularly, the voices and outrage of the abuse survivors who crossed the globe to face him.
The survivors themselves acknowledged this. After the first day of the hearing they expressed to me their satisfaction with arrangements – the international media interest in their stories and wishes has been large, varied and sustained.
Back in Australia, it’s unlikely so many media would have invested the time and effort. Their curiosity may never have been piqued, it would have been something distant and obscure. And of course, in Rome, this whole odd Australian judicial adventure is taking place just down the road from the Vatican itself.
‘Vaticanisti’ media and observers came along to the hearings out of curiosity, and ended up glued to the video evidence.
Cardinal Pell revealed that on Monday, he met with the Pope and “I arranged for him to have a summary of each day’s activities provided to him and to the Secretary of State”.
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