Archbishop Mark Coleridge responds to conviction of Cardinal George Pell
Photo courtesy CNA.
Statement from Archbishop Mark Coleridge, President of the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Conference
The news of Cardinal George Pell’s conviction on historical child sexual abuse charges has shocked many across Australia and around the world, including the Catholic Bishops of Australia.
The Bishops agree that everyone should be equal under the law, and we respect the Australian legal system. The same legal system that delivered the verdict will consider the appeal that the Cardinal’s legal team has lodged. Our hope, at all times, is that through this process, justice will be served.
In the meantime, we pray for all those who have been abused and their loved ones, and we commit ourselves anew to doing everything possible to ensure that the Church is a safe place for all, especially the young and the vulnerable.
We also need to pray for the accused. In most cases they are acquitted but mud sticks. Cardinal Pell strongly denies the charges.
Juries sometimes get it wrong. And judges can sometimes not properly direct the jury – as we learned yesterday when the Court of Appeal in NSW quashed a conviction on the ground that the trial judge had not properly directed the jury.
Could we be pray together as a community, for 40 days possibly
Prayer for Healing Victims of Abuse
God of endless love,
ever caring, ever strong,
always present, always just:
You gave your only Son
to save us by the blood of his cross.
Gentle Jesus, shepherd of peace,
join to your own suffering
the pain of all who have been hurt
in body, mind, and spirit
by those who betrayed the trust placed in them.
Hear our cries as we agonize
over the harm done to our brothers and sisters.
Breathe wisdom into our prayers,
soothe restless hearts with hope,
steady shaken spirits with faith:
Show us the way to justice and wholeness,
enlightened by truth and enfolded in your mercy.
Holy Spirit, comforter of hearts,
heal your people’s wounds
and transform our brokenness.
Grant us courage and wisdom, humility and grace,
so that we may act with justice
and find peace in you.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
As Pilate asked Jesus-what is Truth; that was when Jesus’ enemies wanted him crucified. Has anything changed since then when His Church is in the dock?