Cardinal George Pell of Sydney has said the group of cardinal advisers chosen by Pope Francis will be like the motorbike corps used by Field Marshall Montgomery to gather information during the Second World War. “The Holy Father — like all popes — needs access to information, not just through official sources,” he said. During Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Cardinal Pell’
Cardinal Pell denies covering up priestly child abuse
Tuesday, May 28th, 2013
An apologetic Cardinal George Pell has appeared before a Victorian parliamentary inquiry into child abuse and vehemently denied personally covering up offending by priests. “No. Never,” the Sydney cardinal told the inquiry. He said the offending had largely escaped the view of Church officials who didn’t know what a “mess” they were presiding over. Cardinal Read more
Pope Francis’ G8 and changing the Church
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013
Pope Francis I’s weekend announcement of a new council, the Group of Eight (G8), to advise him on Catholic Church governance and reforming the Church’s central administration (the Roman Curia) has been called the “most important step in the history of the church for the past 10 centuries” by Church historian Alberto Melloni. The group includes Australian Read more
Pope Francis appoints ‘cabinet’ of cardinals
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Pope Francis has appointed a commission of eight cardinals — including Cardinal George Pell of Sydney — to advise him on governing the Church and reforming the Roman Curia. Observers consider it is significant that the commission includes only one prelate currently serving in the Vatican — Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Vatican city-state Read more
Archdiocese defends Cardinal Pell against ‘defamatory’ report
Friday, March 15th, 2013
The archdiocese of Sydney has denounced as “utterly false and seriously defamatory” a news service report that claimed Cardinal George Pell had no chance of being elected pope because he was “tainted by sex abuse scandals”. The archdiocese said the report by Fairfax media misrepresented the outcome of a 2002 inquiry into an allegation against Read more
Pell just posturing say Australian Catholics
Monday, March 4th, 2013
Australia’s Cardinal at the Papal Conclave in Rome, George Pell has come under fire for remarks he made about pope Benedict, reports Melbourne’s Age. Pell criticised the outgoing Pope, saying that despite being a great theologian and a brilliant teacher, governance and government wasn’t his strong point and that Benedict’s resignation leaves future Pontiffs vulnerable. Pell also Read more
Pell lashes out at retiring Pope
Thursday, February 28th, 2013
Cardinal George Pell, has levelled some surprising criticism at Pope Benedict, reports Australia’s Seven News. Pell criticised the outgoing Pope, saying that despite being a great theologian and a brilliant teacher, governance and government wasn’t his strong point. “He’s got to know his theology, but I think I’d prefer… someone who can lead the church Read more
Pell: New pope must save Church from waning influence amid evils of modern society
Monday, February 18th, 2013
The new Pope must save the Catholic Church from waning influence amid the evils of modern society – and may well be an Italian – says Cardinal George Pell. Cardinal Pell is one of 117 cardinals who will elect a new pontiff next month and is the only Cardinal from the vast territory in the South Pacific Read more
New Mass translation divides Catholics
Tuesday, February 12th, 2013
There is deep division in the Church over the new English version of the Mass, with priests and religious particularly critical, according to an online survey of 5700 Catholics conducted by the London Tablet. More than a year after the new Mass translation was introduced, 70 per cent of the clergy who responded said they Read more
Secular scrutiny can save the Church
Friday, February 1st, 2013
On Wednesday Peter McClellan, the NSW Supreme Court Judge leading the royal commission into child abuse in institutions, told the media that the commission’s task will be long and complex. No surprises there. His point was to contain expectations among the media that the commission would be anything other than a hard slog, and that Read more