This FoxNews report includes an unnerving detail:
Local media are forbidden from publishing any news or details about the Melbourne trial due to a court-issued gag order.
One Australian courtroom observer told the Washington Post that Pell’s sentencing proceedings would begin in February and he will be tried next year on additional charges.
The Vatican did not address the explosive case, but did announce the removal of Pell, 77.
REMNANT COMMENT: Okay, so here we go. Is he guilty? Who knows! But, my goodness, how refreshing to see Francis leap into action on this one, like some caped crusader Super Pope. He positively flew out of the Pope Cave on this one.
Strange, though, since Archbishop Vigano still remains in hiding, his credible charges of far greater crimes—against far worse perpetrators, even involving the Pope himself--having been thus far ignored by the Vatican. But Cardinal Pell--the comparative conservative and sometimes critic of Pope Francis? Well, now that's a different story. Rack him!
Strange days indeed!
Hard to know the truth of the matter, of course, and with a media blackout going on down in Melbourne, we may never know.
Click the image to preview the December 15th Print/E-Edition of The Remnant Newspaper!
I do hope folks will begin to see, however, why The Remnant is trying to tap the brakes on what can only be described as classic lynch-mob tactics. Before they're done, the Christophobes will use this scandal to take down all sorts of priests and bishops—whether they’re guilty or not.
If your good priest is straight, holy and not a pervert, don't get too used to having him around. In a few years, nobody will know the difference between your priest and pervert predators... and nobody will care. He is, after all, a Catholic priest!
And Cardinal Pell? I don't know. Pray for him. I never quite forgave him for what he said to Richard Dawkins on evolution (minute 10:12) but I'd like to have a few more facts before I start pelting stones at him.
Everyone is deserving of due process, even those accused of horrific offenses like these . . . maybe especially them. Let's make sure we insist on that. The future of good priests everywhere depends on it. In fact, the very survival of the Catholic Church herself--pure and inviolate--depends on it.