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Cardinal Pell, top advisor to Pope Francis, found guilty of âhistorical sexual offensesâ
NOTE This is a copy of US Media & should be regarded as Fake-News.
An Australian jury has found Cardinal George Pell, 77, guilty on five charges of âhistorical child sexual offensesâ that go back decades, according to various media reports and confirmed by America. The 12-member jury gave their unanimous verdict in the County Court of the State of Victoria in Melbourne on Tuesday, Dec. 11.
The judge decided that the sentencing will take place in early February 2019 and released the cardinal on bail.
Little is known about the nature of the charges on which Cardinal Pell has been condemned because the entire trial and a second trial that has yet to take place are covered by a strict suppression order issued by the presiding judge, Peter Kidd. The order prohibits reporting on the case in any of the countryâs media until the second trial has taken place to avoid prejudicing his case in both instances. The judge has prohibited the publication of the number of complainants in either of the two trials as well as the number and nature of the charges, except for the fact that the charges relate to âhistorical child sexual offenses.â
An Australian jury has found Cardinal George Pell, 77, guilty on five charges of historical sexual offenses.
The cardinal is the most senior churchman yet to be convicted of such offenses, though he is not the third-ranking Vatican official, as some media have reported. His conviction is a grave blow not only to the church in Australia but also to the Vatican and to Pope Francis, who placed great trust in him by nominating the Australian prelate to his nine-member Council of Cardinal Advisors (he was the only cardinal from Oceania at that time, and Francis chose one cardinal from each continent) and by appointing him as prefect of the Secretariat of the Economy with a sweeping mandate to reform Vatican finances.
Cardinal Pell made great headway in those reform efforts, but he was not finished that work when he decided to return to Australia to respond to the allegations of historical sexual offenses. The cardinal has always maintained his innocence. Committal hearings were held in May at the end of which the presiding magistrate, while dismissing some of the most serious charges, ordered him to stand trial on the other charges.
His lawyers and the Victoria State public prosecutors agreed to split the charges against him into two trials: one relating to alleged sexual offenses committed at the cathedral in Melbourne (the first trial known as âthe cathedral trialâ) and the other for abuse said to have been committed in Ballarat, reportedly at a swimming pool (known as âthe swimmers trialâ). Yesterdayâs verdict comes from the first trial. That trial began in September but the jury could not reach a verdict, and so a new trial began in November which resulted in yesterdayâs verdict. The second trial is expected to take place early in 2019, probably around mid-February or early March, after the sentencing related to the first verdict has taken place.
Cardinal Pellâs conviction is a grave blow not only to the church in Australia but also to the Vatican and to Pope Francis.
The Vatican has not commented on the news of the cardinalâs conviction out of respect for the suppression order. On Wednesday, Dec. 12., the director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, responding to a question at a press brief in the Vatican about whether the cardinal would remain as prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy in the light of his judicial situation told reporters, âThat is a good question.â
He then added, âThe Holy See has the utmost respect for the Australian judicial authorities. We are aware there is a suppression order in place and we respect that order.â
Pope Francis told journalists in an airborne press conference earlier this year that he would speak only after the judicial process (which includes the possibility of appeal after sentencing) had run its course. Sources say the cardinal, who has always insisted in this innocence, will appeal.
The conviction of another Australian archbishop, Philip Wilson, was overturned by an appeals court, and sources believe the case of Cardinal Pell could follow suit.
Pope Francis has said he would speak only after the judicial process had run its course.
Pope Francis âgranted Cardinal Pell a leave of absence so he could defend himself from the accusationsâ on June 29, 2017. Since then, the cardinal has been unable to carry out his responsibilities as prefect of the Secretariat of the Economy, a senior position in the Vatican, and as a member of the popeâs council of nine cardinals advisors.
Prior to his leave of absenceâwhen allegations became public and some thought the pope should have removed Cardinal Pell from officeâFrancis applied the principle of law known as âin dubio pro reoâ (âdoubt favors the accusedâ), insisting that a person is to be considered innocent until proven guilty. The pope did not remove Cardinal Pell from his Vatican posts then because he believed to do so would be equivalent to an admission of guilt. Francis explained his stance in a press conference on the return flight from World Youth Day in Poland, July 31, 2016. He said: âWe have to wait for the justice system to do its job and not pass judgment in the media because this is not helpful. âJudgmentâ by gossip, and then what? We donât know how it will turn out. See what the justice system decides. Once it has spoken, then I will speak.â
Pope Francisâ words make clear that he does not intend to speak until the judicial process, including a possible appeal, has ended. He has, however, terminated Cardinal Pellâs membership of the council of nine cardinal advisors, Mr. Burke, indicated on Dec. 12. Mr. Burke revealed that at the end of October, the pope sent a letter thanking Cardinals Pell, Francisco Javier Errazuriz (Chile) and Laurent Monswengo Pasinya (Democratic Republic of the Congo) for their work in his council of cardinal advisors over the past five years.
Cardinal Pell could decide to hand in his resignation as prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, since it is unlikely that his second trial and an eventual appeal will have taken place by the time his five-year term as prefect expires on Feb. 24. The cardinal, who will be 78 in June, could also resign from his other roles in various Roman Curia departments and offices. Currently, he is a member of the Congregation for Bishops, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
Regardless, Cardinal Pell is not allowed to carry out any pastoral ministry in public until the whole judicial process has ended, and then only if the verdict is in his favor.
Gerard OâConnell is Americaâs Vatican correspondent.
Child abuse royal commission: Convicted paedophile who denied allegations labelled ‘a disgrace’
convicted paedophile teacher has accused students of making up stories about him after he was convicted of a child sex offence.
Key points:
- Convicted paedophile teacher Gregory Knight claims students made up stories
- In 1994, Knight was convicted of child sex offences in NT
- He taught music at Brisbane’s St Paul’s in the 1980s, 1990s
- He was convicted of sexually abusing a St Paul’s student
The conduct of former music teacher Gregory Robert Knight, as well as that of former counsellor Kevin John Lynch, is under scrutiny at the child sexual abuse royal commission underway at the Brisbane Magistrates Court.
Both men worked at Brisbane’s St Paul’s School during the 1980s and 1990s.
Knight later resigned from St Paul’s and moved to the Northern Territory to work at Darwin’s Dripstone High School, where serious allegations of child abuse were made against him in 1993.
The school and the NT Department of Education refused Knight’s offer to resign, with the school sacking him on the spot.
In 1994, Knight was convicted and sentenced to eight years in jail with a three-year non-parole period for child sex offences in the Northern Territory.
In 2005, he was subsequently convicted of sexually abusing a former St Paul’s student, identified at the inquiry as BSG.
He appeared this afternoon at the commission via video link.
“Now in Darwin as I have stated I went off the rails, I behaved badly and I’m not dodging around that one bit,” Knight said.
“It was after that and at the time when compensation was being handed out to students who had been at St Paul’s well after I’d left there that we had BSG come along and start asking ‘Oh, can I put in a bit of a story’ and away it went.”
BSG’s lawyer, Roger Singh, challenged Knight’s statement.
Roger Singh, lawyer for former St Paul’s School student BSG
“You were charged, convicted and sentenced for horrific sexual violation against BSG,” he said.
“There was no successful appeal, and for you to proclaim your innocence is absurd and delusional.
“You are a disgrace. It cannot be denied that you are a paedophile.”
Counsel assisting the inquiry David Lloyd also reminded Knight of his paedophile conviction and suggested: “It’s just delusional isn’t it, your position?”
Knight replied: “No, it isn’t.”
Knight sacked by BBC before being being employed by St Paul’s
Former Brisbane Boys College (BBC) principal Graeme Thomson told the inquiry he sacked Knight after hearing reports of questionable conduct from students in 1980.Â
Mr Thomson employed Knight unaware of crimes he had committed in South Australia, but said when boys from BBC came to him about strange behaviour around boarders in the showers, he took action.
Graeme Thomson, former BBC principal
He said he subsequently told St Paul’s principal Gilbert Case about the behaviour, yet Knight was still employed by the school.
“He [Knight] made no effort to offer an explanation and did not refute the details,” Mr Thomson said.
“I was confounded by his inability or his unwillingness to make a comment [about the allegations].
“When Knight did not respond with any denial, I took cognisance and gave pre-eminence to two well-known truths, where there’s smoke there’s fire and prevention is better than cure.”
Mr Thomson said he then registered his concern with BBC’s governing body and they agreed Knight had to go.
“I told Knight that his position was summarily terminated and I instructed him to make sure he left the school in the next 24 hours,” Mr Thomson said.
Former SA education minister ‘could have done more’
Earlier today, former South Australia education minister Dr Donald Hopgood said he could have done more to prevent Knight from ever teaching children again.
Knight had worked as a teacher in South Australia, where a 1978 inquiry held by the Education Department found he had engaged in disgraceful conduct towards students.
Dr Hopgood and Knight were in a band together at the time of the abuse.
That inquiry recommended Knight be dismissed from teaching, but Dr Hopgood instead accepted Knight’s resignation and gave him a positive reference “in the way in which he was able to lead a band”.
Knight admitted he had likely used the reference to gain a teaching job in Brisbane.
“It was a nice reference and it wasn’t drawing him into any conflict,” he said.
Yesterday, the commission heard from BSG, who said he was threatened with the loss of his scholarship at St Paul’s after he raised allegations about Knight in the 1980s.
First Catholic institutions join the Scheme
The first Catholic institutions, represented by Australian Catholic Redress Limited, have joined the National Redress Scheme. This first group representing 27 out of 35 Catholic Dioceses and Archdioceses within Australia are listed below. In addition the first Catholic Religious Order has also joined the Scheme. We expect more Catholic institutions to join in the coming months. The institutions now participating in the Scheme are:
Archdioceses and Dioceses
- Archdiocese of Adelaide
- Archdiocese of Brisbane
- Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn
- Archdiocese of Hobart
- Archdiocese of Melbourne
- Archdiocese of Sydney
- Diocese of Armidale
- Diocese of Ballarat
- Diocese of Bathurst
- Diocese of Broken Bay
- Diocese of Cairns
- Diocese of Darwin
- Diocese of Lismore
- Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle
- Diocese of Parramatta
- Diocese of Port Pirie
- Diocese of Rockhampton
- Diocese of Sale
- Diocese of Sandhurst
- Diocese of Toowoomba
- Diocese of Townsville
- Diocese of Wagga Wagga
- Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes
- Diocese of Wollongong
- Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Maron of Sydney (Maronites)
- Military Ordinarite of Australia
- Syro Malabar Eparchy of St Thomas
- The Society of Jesus (the Jesuits)
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Elite Qld schools failed to act on abuse
Two prestigious Queensland schools failed to protect students from sexual abuse, doing nothing about complaints from victims who were not believed, a royal commission has found.
The culture at Brisbane Grammar School for 24 years under former headmaster Dr Maxwell Howell meant boys who alleged abuse were not believed, the commission said on Wednesday.
After counsellor Kevin Lynch moved on to the Anglican St Paul’s School where he again sexually abused students during counselling sessions, two boys who went to headmaster Gilbert Case were labelled liars.
Mr Case’s inaction when told Lynch and teacher Gregory Robert Knight had sexually abused children meant he did not achieve his most fundamental obligation to keep students safe, the commission said.
It said Mr Case, who was headmaster at St Paul’s from 1979-2000, was put in charge of all Anglican schools in Brisbane despite former archbishop and governor-general Peter Hollingworth and diocese general manager Bernard Yorke, knowing about allegations he took no action when told of abuse by Lynch.
Brisbane Grammar missed opportunities to discover Lynch’s abuse because it failed to keep adequate records of students’ attendance at counselling sessions and their absence from classes, the commission said.
A number of complaints about Lynch were made to senior Brisbane Grammar staff, most significantly to its 1965-1989 headmaster Dr Howell, who died in 2011.
The commission said Dr Howell did not investigate a 1981 complaint or report it to police or the school’s board of trustees, failing in his obligation to protect students.
“We find that during Dr Howell’s period as headmaster there was a culture at Brisbane Grammar where boys who made allegations of sexual abuse were not believed and allegations were not acted upon.”
St Paul’s also took no action to deal with complaints about Lynch sexually abusing students, the commission’s report said.
The commission rejected Mr Case’s evidence that two students did not tell him they had been abused by Lynch, who committed suicide a day after being charged in 1997 with sex offences against another St Paul’s pupil.
“Mr Case told the students they were lying and threatened to punish them if they persisted with the allegations,” it said.
There were allegations during Knight’s three years teaching music at St Paul’s that he sexually abused a number of students.
The school’s only action was that Mr Case accepted Knight’s resignation in October 1984, giving him a favourable reference, the commission said.
Knight was accused of sexually abusing students at a South Australian school before joining St Paul’s and afterwards at a Northern Territory school, where he tried to resign but was immediately sacked and reported to police.
Dr Hollingworth’s successor as archbishop Phillip Aspinall reached a negotiated settlement for Mr Case to leave his position as executive director of the Anglican Schools Commission, a role that required him to ensure the schools had proper child protection policies.
Current Anglican Schools Commission executive director Sherril Molloy said measures were now in place to better protect children, including trained student protection officers in each school.
Brisbane Grammar repeated its unreserved apology and said it has learnt from its past failures.
NOTE: Brisbane Boys’ College & (Anthony) Kim Buchanan is by no means included in this trend. Other related parallels/similarities are also becoming revealed. Details of (Anthony) Kim Buchanan’s St Paul’s & Ipswich Grammar School adventures are also being collected.
SOURCE: https://au.news.yahoo.com/abused-qld-students-not-believed-34418818.html
Julia Gillardâs work for abuse survivors recognised
Former PM Julia Gillard has received this year’s Blue Knot Award
NOTE: President Dr. Cathy Kezelman has been involved in the early stages of Tony Anstatt’s CSA Journey. From the Launch of ‘Talking about Trauma Services’ (Kezelman & Stavropolous, ASCA – Blue Knot, 2012), Blue Knot (then ASCA) provided numerous meetings, offering help, assistance & therapies. It was rewarding seeing this had made wider publication, through SBS.
Impressions left …
Of high importance to any School Institution is the memories & impressions left with their learners. Â Imagine what damage has been done to leave comments such as:
âprotruding erections) during these (repeated) canings.â
âIt seems that there was a hidden level of BDSM amongst various levels of đ« Â perpetratorsâ
âused the strap and cane in me twice in the late đ„đ„ and he loved it! â
âWhat a joke a fucking pedo breading ground.â
âIÂ went to đ« in the mid đłâs and have had serious mental health issues after leavingâ
âThis school ruined my familyâ
These Statements of Impact have not been Shared to dismiss the value of these Educators. Only to address the tragic outcomes that existed between ‘Elite’ Students & some of those from other backgrounds. In this age of transparency & openness, it is hoped that greater learning & fairness may be achieved.
Clocks striking midnight
Although much has been covered in 2018, it seems typical that while many other areas are closing – issues seem to be heating up for numerous Survivours of CSA. For those who are experiencing Complex Trauma, Blue Knot advises that “survival” responses may continue if not addressed. Further info is available through contacting our Admin.
Tracking Devices of Pedophiles have been introduced in NSW. Comforting for other Survivours, yet Butch is deceased. Hopes are that other Perpetrators will also be tagged. Qld Government should adopt these same measures.
Puzzle pieces are starting to join together
After a series of passionate Phone calls, had over recent weeks, today marked the initial meeting of 3 of the Brisbane Admin of this RCbbc Blog! One of these Old Students has reached a Settlement, allowing enthusiasm to be shared with a more recent Damages Applicant. As current Qld Laws restrict the 3rd from Claiming additional Damages, a rewarding time was had by all. With the saying: “from little things, big things grow”, our next exchange’s will be more boosted.
2018 Statâs
It’s of great interest that BBC continues to have such a wide Global audience: potential families, current and future enrolments. Having these types of public info helps realise more of what the ‘Royal Commission for Institutional Responses of Child Sexual Abuse‘ aimed to achieve. Together, we’re striving to achieve Transparency and Openness.
