Experts are drafting proposed new laws on the status of a retired pope. In the 728 years that have passed since St Celestine established this legal precedent, the right of a pope to resign remains ensured in church law. The law is not very detailed, saying only that the decision must be made freely and Read more
The Archdiocese of Melbourne indicated it wants to rely on the “Ellis defence” to be excused from a civil damages case involving Cardinal George Pell. The Ellis defence emerged from a 2007 NSW Court of Appeal judgement that prevented an abuse survivor from suing the Church because it was not a legal entity. Survivors have Read more
A major Australian law firm is ending its 50-year relationship with the Catholic Church amid reports some of its lawyers were uneasy with its defence of clergy accused of child sexual abuse. Melbourne-based firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth, recently named Australian Law Firm of the Year in the 2022 Chambers Asia Pacific & Greater China Region Read more
The civil proceedings against Cardinal George Pell are for the same allegations of which he was acquitted by the High Court; “They’re going to hunt him down until he dies.” That was the response of someone close to me upon reading the news that Cardinal George Pell is now the subject of civil proceedings in Read more
A former choirboy’s father who says his son was sexually abused by Cardinal George Pell has launched civil action, aiming to sue the Catholic Church and Pell. In 2018, Pell was found guilty by a County Court jury of abusing two teenage choirboys in December 1996 when he was the Archbishop of Melbourne. He had Read more
Two high profile Cardinals have gone head to head over testimony during a tribunal in what has been described as the Vatican ‘Trial of the Century.’ Australian Cardinal George Pell has accused Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu of providing “incomplete” information during his testimony and thwarting transparency efforts. In a May 6 statement, Pell accused Becciu Read more
The Vatican’s former treasurer, Cardinal George Pell, has praised Pope Francis’ reforms designed to improve transparency in the Holy See. Pell was speaking at “Real Estate and the New Evangelisation,” an event held in Rome on April 28. The cardinal addressed several questions raised by recent financial scandals in the Catholic Church. Francis’ reforms of Read more
The University of Oxford’s Catholic student society has invited Cardinal George Pell to give its prestigious annual lecture, attracting both praise and criticism from within Oxford’s Catholic community. The cardinal, who graduated with a DPhil from Oxford in 1971, has been a patron of the Newman Society since 2009, when he inaugurated the current iteration Read more
Speaking openly on his views about the three most recent popes and other matters, Australian Cardinal George Pell says he “never really approved” of Pope Benedict’s resignation from the papacy. And, of the three most recent popes, Pell said he was closest to Benedict. His remarks came during “The Church Up Close” a webinar hosted Read more
Age and illness have not taken the wind out of Pope Francis’ sails. Despite major intestinal surgery last July and his upcoming 85th birthday in December, the Italo-Argentine pope — amazingly! — is showing absolutely no signs that he’s slowing down or planning to close up shop anytime soon. His recent four-day visit to Budapest, Read more