Guess why?
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Greyman wrote:Well, he is back to face the charges..
Cardinal George Pell is due to front a Melbourne court for the first time today as he fights historical sexual offence charges.
. . . .
The Pope granted Pell leave to return to Australia from the Vatican for his first appearance in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court today.
A court spokeswoman said he would not receive any special treatment.
Paedophile-hunting policeman wins payout 46 years on
Former Australian detective Denis Ryan was driven out of the police force in 1972 when he tried to bring a paedophile priest to justice.
Now almost 50 years after he was ordered by superiors to drop the case - and deprived of a police pension - Mr Ryan will receive compensation.
The 86-year-old man was recently awarded an undisclosed sum by the state government of Victoria.
"When I heard the news, I nearly jumped out of my socks," he said.
Cardinal George Pell was last year convicted of sexually abusing two choirboys in 1996, but the Victorian County Court has not allowed media outlets to report the verdict before now. Pell is Australia's most senior Catholic cleric and he now faces the prospect of prison time.
His five-week trial ended last December, when a jury found Pell guilty of sexual penetration of a child under 16, as well as four counts of committing an indecent act with, or in the presence, of a child. It is likely Pell will be remanded in custody after a plea hearing on Wednesday, before he is sentenced next week.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-26/ ... d/10847786
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-26/ ... l/10837564
Calilasseia wrote:Each offence carries a maximum 10 year prison sentence. At 77, it's unlikely that Pell will live to leave prison once the sentences begin.
Calilasseia wrote:On the other hand, someone could decide to make an example of him if he loses the appeal, and drop the full 10 years on him. There's also the prospect of outrage if he gets a lesser sentence for sticking his cock in a boy's mouth, than some poor person who was sent to prison for a lesser offence.
In 2009 the former Gold Coast-based international racing driver pleaded guilty to charges of indecent dealing of a child under 12 years.
Brabham managed to have his name suppressed as he served out his time in high security at Wacol jail.
On his release, in an attempt to rebuild his motor racing career, Brabham claimed to have been overseas working for large motoring companies.
Macdoc wrote:where is the ex-comm committee anyway.
surreptitious57 wrote:He is already being protected by the circle of police officers he has around him as he leaves / enters the courts
Any ordinary paedophile would not have such a high level of protection and would be without any security at all
surreptitious57 wrote:He has to be given a custodial sentence and stripped of his title
Anything less than that would be a complete traversty of justice
Hermit wrote:Macdoc wrote:where is the ex-comm committee anyway.
The ex-comm committee will continue to sit on its hands until the inevitable appeal to the High Court has run its course. Not only that, but Pell is still a Cardinal. That'll have to go before any move toward defrocking and excommunicating him.
Meanwhile, the old boys network is closing ranks. John Howard, who after 12 years of Prime Ministership has a lot of clout in the establishment, is one of 15 prominent conservatives to have penned glowing character references for the convicted rapist. Another former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, is a practising catholic who actually spent a couple of years in a seminary before switching his career path from priesthood to politics. I bet he is currently working feverishly all available supporting levers in the background.
The convicted rapist has yet to admit guilt, and his supporters in Rome, Australia and everywhere else are singing in unison: "Nobody believes the court verdict is right".
The defence is keeping its health card up its sleeve to use as a last resort. It'll come out the moment Pell has run out of court procedures. I can hear it already: "77 year old frail man who recently had two knee replacement operations won't be able to cope with the rigours of life in jail. Please let him live last last few days of his life out in a pleasant, sumptuously serviced monastery surrounded by a bucolic vineyard and the sound of Gregorian chants sung by a live choir of altar boys whose voices have not yet broken. It's the humane thing to do in our civilised society."
This is what gets me the most: I am not into vengeance, but a soft landing for the rapist sends a wrong signal to other sexual criminals in high places. They quite rightly won't be able so see potentially discouraging consequences following any of their past, present or future sex-crimes. The old boys will always come to their rescue.
The Serpent wrote:Pell won't be excommunicated, nothing he's done or said to have done is punishable by excommunication under canon law.
Violation of the sacred species is the throwing away the consecrated species of Christ's body or blood or the taking or retaining of them for a sacrilegious purpose (CIC 1367).
Some examples of offenses that incur an automatic excommunication, notwithstanding #1, above, are abortion, or casting the Holy Eucharist on the ground or discarding it in the sacrarium (the sink in the church sacristy that drains directly into the ground), or any intentional desecration of the Eucharist, or attacking a priest, religious brother, or nun.
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