AUSTRALIA
ABC – The Drum
OPINION
By Michael Bradley
The time has come for George Pell to forget about the legal strategies, the honour and assets of the Church, and his personal dignity. He needs to come back home, face up and tell the truth, writes Michael Bradley.
Immoveable object meets irresistible force.
Cardinal George Pell has engaged various tactics over the years in his response to the grave allegations regarding his part in the Catholic Church’s handling of sexual abuse victims, but the attitude has remained the same: impassive, righteous, unrepentant, unmoved.
In terms of his apparent personal motivation of protecting the Church’s reputation and assets, it’s been pretty successful. But Royal Commissions are powerful beasts; and a determined Royal Commissioner can break the toughest resistance to their mission of shedding light into the darkest places.
I have no opinion to express on the allegations levelled at Pell. They have not been tested, and we should not presume their truth or otherwise before that has been done. The Royal Commissioner, Peter McClellan QC, has been sending a very clear message that this is what he intends to do. It has set the scene for what could be a memorable showdown.
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