The Vatican is not likely to respond to child abuse allegations against Cardinal George Pell until the outcome of police investigations, according to a Vatican expert.
“The Vatican will want to wait and see how any investigation proceeds,” Christopher Lamb, correspondent for Catholic journal The Tablet, told Lateline.
“I don’t think they’ll be taking any kind of actions or any steps before that legal process concludes.”
Mr Lamb, currently in Krakov, Poland to cover World Youth Day, said the allegations against Cardinal Pellhad “certainly been on the radar here”.
“I know that people will be monitoring it, be looking at it,” he said.
Mr Lamb said when a credible accusation of abuse was made against a priest or bishop, the norm was for them to step down while the issue was investigated.
But he said it would “be very difficult for the Cardinal to do that in this case because he’s got this job in the Vatican reforming the finances and it’s a difficult, complicated role”.
Cardinal Pell was an influential figure in the Vatican, he said.
“The Pope called Cardinal Pell to Rome after he was elected as Pope to help him reform the finances in the Vatican, and that’s an incredibly important job. It’s the centrepiece of what the Pope is trying to do in making the Church more accountable,” Mr Lamb said.
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Seems strange that with all the publicity, for years, of serial abuse in the Catholic Church, Pell giving evidence several times including a royal commission, these men have come forward now.
No, they came forward before, at least some of them, also some people feel safe to disclose when other victims speak out, it gives them the courage to stop the silence. It is very hard, especially for older men to talk about abuse.
What's the difference? Maybe they weren't given the opportunity. Either way, their accounts need to be heard. Australians' distaste for him was probably on the money.
Errr, Rolf Harris anyone? Bill Cosby? Jimmy Tarbuck?