A member of the Pope’s commission to protect minors has expressed concern that Cardinal George Pell is in charge of the body’s finances.
Peter Saunders had previously called on the Pope to sack the cardinal, following accusations that resurfaced at a royal commission hearing in Ballarat.
Cardinal Pell has repeatedly denied claims that he moved a priest accused of abuse between parishes and bribed a victim to drop a complaint.
On Australia’s Sixty Minutes programme last weekend, Mr Saunders accused Cardinal Pell of acting with callousness and being “almost sociopathic” in his lack of care.
Mr Saunders accused Cardinal Pell of “making a mockery of the papal commission, of the Pope himself, but most of all of the victims and the survivors”.
Cardinal Pell’s office issued a statement saying Mr Saunders’ “false and misleading claims” were “outrageous”, adding that Pell would consult legal advisers.
Mr Saunders later told the Australian Associated Press the pontifical commission he belongs to may not be able to do its job properly due to a lack of resources.
He said “the commission will largely be dictated to some extent by the resources that are made available to it . . . and my understanding is that there is some financial pressure already in this particular area and I’m pretty appalled at that”.
Mr Saunders asked: “ . . .[W]ho’s in charge of funding and resources in the Vatican? You know the answer to that”.
Cardinal Pell is prefect of the Vatican’s economic secretariat.
Mr Saunders, who is an abuse survivor, also said it was “entirely possible” that Pope Francis didn’t fully understand the history in Australia when he appointed Cardinal Pell to his current position.
Earlier, a Vatican spokesman stated Mr Saunders, a British victims’ advocate, was speaking in a personal capacity and not as a member of the commission.
Australia’s archbishops and several bishops released a statement defending Cardinal Pell as a man of integrity.
Jesuit Fr Frank Brennan, who has clashed with the cardinal in the past, called for fair treatment for him.
The royal commission has requested Cardinal Pell appear at a further hearing in Ballarat later this year, and the cardinal has agreed to do so.
Sources
- News.com
- The Tablet
- Yahoo News
- ABC
- SBS
- CWN
- Image: The Guardian
Related Posts:
- Vatican correspondent says Pope would not protect George Pell
- Five questions for Cardinal Pell when he fronts the royal commission
- The clash between Peter Saunders and Cardinal Pell is a real headache for Pope Francis
News category: World.
