Cardinal George Pell is one of the most senior and powerful figures in the Catholic Church. The church’s already shaky credibility took a hit when he was convicted of sex crimes against two 13-year-old boys. In Guilty: The Conviction of Cardinal Pell, ABC News outlines the disturbing story of Pell, his many victims and the plague that continues to rage deep within the Church.
Pell became Archbishop of Melbourne in 1996 as church leadership was shaken by allegations of child sex abuse. More pedophile priests live in the Archdiocese of Melbourne than anywhere else in the country. With this in mind, Pell launched an internal harm reduction initiative to “reduce the suffering of victims.” Despite his authoritative position as a child safety advocate, he exhibited the same behavior as he protested behind closed doors.
The film details Pell’s abuse of children in his church choir. The revelations were unpleasant and disturbing, but crucial to understanding how Pell used his authority, access and influence to his advantage.
Detectives, lawyers and children’s advocates joined the discussion on the church’s efforts to cover up such allegations. They argue that the Church has been embroiled in these scandals for far too long and that seismic internal reforms to combat this sickening epidemic are long overdue.
What was most effective was the insight of the victim’s family. In tearful interviews, the parents discussed the spiral their children experienced after Pell’s abuse. In less than 20 years, one of them died of a heroin overdose. Another – now a young man – can muster up the courage to expose his harassers to the authorities. Perhaps they will gain strength from the numbers, and soon more allegations of abuse will pour in from other members of the Children’s Department.
Guilty: Cardinal Pell’s sentence was not easy to watch, but her candor and ruthlessness brought a vital sense of urgency to the crisis.
