DENVER (CO)
Crux
Mar 6, 2019
People should pray for Catholic priests after the conviction of Cardinal George Pell for historic sexual abuse charges, according to the Prime Minister of Samoa.
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has led the government on the Pacific island nation since 1998 and is one of its most prominent Catholics in public life.
Samoa, a Polynesian island of nearly 200,000 people near the U.S. territory of American Samoa, is highly dependent on trade with Australia.
In December, Pell was convicted of abusing two choir boys in the 1990s when he was Archbishop of Melbourne. He has strenuously denied the accusations and plans on appealing the conviction.
“It’s alleged the incident occurred when he was about 40 years old sometime ago, however to date there are records and witnesses are still around who were well aware of the malicious acts by this servant of God,” Malielegaoi said, according to the Samoa Observer.
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