Cardinal George Pell dies aged 81

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Cardinal George Pell dies aged 81-years-old after complications from hip surgery, Vatican media has announced

Tributes have started to pour in for Australian Cardinal George Pell, 81, who died in an Italian hospital on Tuesday night (local time) after complications from a routine surgery, Vatican media has confirmed.
David Wu
 and 
Bryant Hevesi

January 11, 2023

George Pell death: Legal expert unleashes on 'greatest miscarriage of justice' and ABC reporting after death of Cardinal aged 81

Legal affairs expert Chris Merritt has torn into the frenzy and “lynch mob” surrounding Cardinal George Pell’s trial as he condemned the ABC and Louise Milligan’s “irredeemably wrong” reporting of the major criminal saga.
Tyrone Clarke

January 11, 2023

Cardinal George Pell died an innocent man: Chris Merritt
January 11, 2023 - 11:12AM

The Australian’s Legal Affairs Contributor Chris Merritt says Cardinal George Pell died an innocent man despite the frenzied “lynch mob” which opposed him.

Cardinal George Pell has died at the age of 81 with Vatican Media confirming he passed away in Rome after complications from hip replacement surgery.

In 2017 Pell was charged and found guilty of historical child sex abuse but the conviction was later overturned by the bench of the High Court.

He had always maintained his innocence.

“Cardinal Pell died an innocent man,” Mr Merritt told Sky News Australia.

“This might come as a terrible shock to those who were gripped by the frenzy – particularly in Victoria – that effectively amounted to a lynch mob before his trial and unsuccessful appeal in the Victorian Court of Appeal.

“The fact that an old, sick man spent a long time in prison and was eventually shown by the highest court in the land to be innocent, it still, it ranks up there with Lindy Chamberlain, as one of the greatest miscarriages of justice we’ve ever seen in this country.”
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No state funeral for Georgie Porgie...
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-64245420

Andrews was advised a state funeral would cause PTSD for surviving victims of the church. Nothing to do with virtue signalling.

Some ppl believe Pell is guilty through association.
(My understanding is that Pell helped to address the child abuse problem in the church.)
Ppl with integrity don't blindly embrace this nonsense.


Dicky Dan has politicized pell's death to placate his political base, IMO.
To my knowledge, Anthony Albanese hasn't.
BTW, Albanese has far great integrity, based on what I have observed.

I don't know enough about the subject but the popular narrative is he was at least aware and may have helped cover up. At worst he was accused of participating. I think the latter is difficult to prove but you have to admit the judge in his initial trial thought there was sufficient evidence
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-n ... al-assault
And the case isn't over
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-n ... an-lawsuit

ABC needs to recognise it got the Cardinal Pell story ‘irredeemably wrong’
January 11, 2023 - 11:42AM

The ABC needs to recognise it got the Cardinal George Pell story “absolutely, totally, irredeemably wrong”, says The Australian’s Legal Affairs Contributor Chris Merritt.

The Vatican has confirmed Cardinal Pell died at the age of 81 following hip surgery complications.

In 2017 Pell was charged and found guilty of historical child sex abuse but the conviction was later overturned by the bench of the High Court.

“The 7:30 program devoted an enormous amount of time to prosecuting, effectively, Cardinal Pell,” Mr Merritt told Sky News Australia.

“It will be revealing of the character of the people running the ABC how they respond now.”

The ABC needs to recognise it got the Cardinal George Pell story “absolutely, totally, irredeemably wrong”, says The Australian’s Legal Affairs Contributor Chris Merritt.

I am sure it wasn't just the ABC running that story. News outlets, editors and journalists sensed there was something newsworthy to report. If they overstepped the mark I am sure the Catholic church would have litigated against the broadcaster a long time ago.

Currently the only litigation is the family of one of the alleged victims who are pursuing a case against the now deceased Pell.