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George Pell's memorial hijacked by protestors

The memorial service for Cardinal George Pell has ended with calls to the police, after protestors clashed outside St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. Australia's highest ranking Catholic was honoured in a service on Wednesday, when Pell supporters approached child abuse activists who were peacefully tying ribbons to fences at the cathedral. Supporters of the previously convicted sex offender were reportedly shouting angrily at the silent protesters as evening prayer was wrapping up. In recent days, a support group for clergy abuse survivors, Loud Fence, had been tying colourful ribbons as a symbol of solidarity. But church security has repeatedly been cutting them down. In another bold statement against the Cardinal, comedians from The Chaser attempted to gain entry into the memorial service as they carried a fake coffin filled with "evidence". Comedian and The Chasers War on Everything star, Charles Firth, along with Chaser colleague, Lachlan Hodson, clashed with police on the steps of the Cathedral as they claimed they had "a whole lot of evidence to bury alongside him", saying it's what Pell "would've wanted". <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> The Chase have attempted to storm George Pell's memorial while his body lies in state at Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral. 😳👇 <a href="https://t.co/U3IW10wveN">pic.twitter.com/U3IW10wveN</a> — The Daily Telegraph (@dailytelegraph) <a href="https://twitter.com/dailytelegraph/status/1620674735603580928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2023</a></blockquote> As one guard tries to stop the comedian from taking a step further, Firth tells him, "Don't touch me, I'm not an altar boy". "Wait a minute, is this an issue of consent? I don't understand, that's never worried you before," he said. As security urge Firth and Hodson to move away, the comedian tells the guards that he'll take the fake coffin to another parish as that's "normally the way it works". Cardinal Pell died in Rome in January after complications from hip surgery. He was 81. Pell was widely seen as the right-hand man of Pope Francis and the third most powerful figure in the church, before he was arrested in Australia for historic child sex abuse crimes within the church. The Cardinal was imprisoned in 2019 after he was found guilty of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in the 1990s and spent just 12 months in Barwon Prison near Melbourne before the Australian High Court quashed his convictions following an appeal. Despite being sentenced to six years in prison with a non-parole period of three years and eight months, there were no further trials and Pell walked free after more than 400 days in prison. Image credits: Nine News / Reddit

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Dan Andrews rejects state funeral proposition for Cardinal Pell

Dan Andrews has rejected the idea of holding a state funeral for the late Cardinal George Pell, saying he "couldn’t think of anything more distressing" for victims of child sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church. Cardinal Pell, Australia's most senior Catholic, died on Wednesday at age 81 in Rome, after suffering heart complications from hip replacement surgery. Speaking in Melbourne on Thursday, Andrews offered his condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Pell, acknowledging it would be a “sad time” for them. However, he said victims of institutional child sexual abuse remained “foremost” in his thoughts. “We see you, we believe you, we support you and you’re at the centre of not only our thoughts, not only our words, but our actions,” Andrews said. “We should never ever forget that predator brothers and priests were systematically moved around knowingly. It was part of a strategy from one working-class parish to the next." “We should never ever forget that, and we will never ever forget victims, survivors of institutional child sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic church.” Andrews said there had been no request made for a state funeral service, which is funded by the Victorian government, nor would one be offered to Pell. “I don’t believe that there’s been a request made and these things are normally offered rather than asked for and there will be no offer made,” he said. “There will be no memorial service or state funeral because I think that would be a deeply, deeply distressing thing for every victim-survivor of Catholic church child sexual abuse. That is my view. I will not do that. “I couldn’t think of anything that would be more distressing for victim-survivors than that.” Image credits: Getty Images

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Victims of child sexual abuse react to Cardinal Pell's death

Victims of childhood sexual abuse have shared their reactions to the news of the death of Cardinal George Pell. Pell, who was previously convicted for historic sex crimes, died at age 81 in Rome on Wednesday after complications from hip replacement surgery. Phil Nagle, who was assaulted by a priest at the age of nine, said bluntly, "He's certainly burning in hell right now." "I'm glad he's passed on," he told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/reaction-to-cardinal-george-pells-death/33dd1fd4-fb5a-4fd0-9cba-54da4d4de15b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Current Affair</a>. Nagle went on to say he believed Pell "was a liar and a protector of paedophile clergy". "(He) had plenty of opportunities during his lifetime to try and redeem himself," he said. "It's a bit of a shame he's taken the secrets to the grave." Victims advocate Helen Last said she "felt really numb" when she heard about Pell's death. "It's a tragedy of great proportions. There's so many survivors in Victoria still who have not been able to come forward about alleged abuse by him, on them," she said. "I personally believe on the basis of evidence that George Pell has been involved in a network of sexual offending clergy that goes right back." Sex abuse victim Michael Advocate said his shed weren't of sorrow when he heard about Pell's passing. "He was a terrible, terrible human being that just damaged so many child sex abuse victims, including me," Advocate said. "There's so many of my fellow sufferers, you know … he got off so lightly. I hope he really gets justice." "If there is a God, dear God may he be forthright in his punishment." Despite an onslaught of similar comments from members of the public who stand with Pell's accusers, famous friends of the Church were quick to share their sadness over the Cardinal's death. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, a Catholic and staunch Pell supporter, described the cardinal as a "saint" and compared the sexual abuse charges that effectively ended his ecclesiastical career to "a modern form of crucifixion". Reacting to Abbott's statement on Instagram, former 7News Melbourne host Jacqui Felgate summed up the anger felt by Pell's critics with a brutal, three-word response. "Beyond the pale," she wrote. Many of Felgate's followers agreed, with former Bachelor star Matthew Johnson saying, "This is absolutely abhorrent and really puts into perspective what type of person [he is]." Image credits: Getty Images

News

Cardinal George Pell dies at age 81

Cardinal George Pell has died at age 81 in Rome after suffering complications from hip replacement surgery. Australia's highest ranking Catholic had reportedly been chatting to the anaesthetist in hospital following the procedure when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest, according to The Australian. Australian Archbishop Anthony Fisher confirmed the news in a statement provided to AFP, saying, “It is with deep sadness that I can confirm His Eminence, Cardinal George Pell, passed away in Rome in the early hours of this morning.” “This news comes as a great shock to all of us." “Please pray for the repose of the soul of Cardinal Pell, for comfort and consolation for his family and for all of those who loved him and are grieving him at this time.” Pell was widely seen as the right-hand man of Pope Francis and the third most powerful figure in the church, before he was arrested in Australia for historic child sex abuse crimes within the church. The Cardinal was imprisoned in 2019 after he was found guilty of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in the 1990s and spent just 12 months in Barwon Prison near Melbourne before the Australian High Court quashed his convictions following an appeal. Despite being sentenced to six years in prison with a non-parole period of three years and eight months, there were no further trials and Pell walked free after more than 400 days in prison. Image credits: Getty Images

News

“There are different paths to justice”: Former choirboy’s father takes George Pell to court

Content warning: This article includes mentions of child sexual abuse (CSA). The father of a former choirboy allegedly abused by George Pell has launched a civil case against the cardinal and the Catholic Church. After being convicted of abusing two choirboys during his time as archbishop of Melbourne in the 1990s, Cardinal Pell was acquitted by the High Court in 2020, having served 13 months in prison before gaining his freedom. The father of one of the victims, who died of a drug overdose in 2014, was told about the alleged abuse by police a year after his son’s death, according to the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-14/george-pell-father-former-choirboy-civil-action-cardinal-church/101236968" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a>. He has now launched legal action against Cardinal Pell and the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne in the Supreme Court of Victoria for “damages for nervous shock” that were related to finding out about the allegations, according to the statement of claim lodged in court. The father, who cannot legally be named and has been given the pseudonym RWQ, and his solicitors from Shine Lawyers claim Cardinal Pell and the Archdiocese were negligent. They allege the cardinal is liable for RWQ’s mental injury because it would have been reasonably foreseeable that he would suffer from nervous shock after learning of the alleged abuse, and that the Archdiocese breached a duty of care to him. RWQ is claiming general damages, and special damages, and seeking compensation for “past loss of earning capacity and past and future medical and like expenses”, though the sum he is seeking will only be revealed if the matter goes to trial. Lisa Flynn, the Chief Legal Officer for Shine Lawyers, said the separate criminal case and High Court proceedings involving the cardinal won’t affect the civil case. “The High Court made some decisions in relation to the criminal prosecution against [George] Pell, our case is a civil case against George Pell and the Catholic Archdiocese,” she explained. “There are different paths to justice.” If you are in need of support you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831 or Blue Knot on 1300 657 380 for support relating to sexual abuse. Image: Getty Images

Legal

Buckley’s Chance is a classic film about a boy and a dog

In a classic tradition, Buckley’s Chance is a film which explores the close relationship between a boy and his dingo in outback Australia – and Bill Nighy comes along for the ride. Filmed in Broken Hill, Buckley’s Chance was in cinemas in June of this year but you can now stream it on Amazon Prime Video. Well-known British actor, Bill Nighy plays a leading role alongside Milan Burch who plays the role of the young boy, Ridley. And yes – there’s a new screen star – the dingo called Buckley. After the loss of his father, Ridley is forced to move to the Australian outback to live with his estranged Grandfather (Nighy). While exploring the outback, Ridley becomes lost and befriends a dingo excluded from its own pack. A strong bond is formed as the two try to make their way home. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/np7WgFqtNzE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Based on the Aussie slang – “You’ve got Buckley’s” The phrase – “You’ve got Buckley’s” is a much-used piece of Aussie slang and it refers to a convict called William Buckley who escaped in Victoria in 1803 and lived among the Aborigines there for the next 30 years. At the time, it was thought no-one could ever survive in the Australian bush on their own and this is how the term “Buckley’s” came about. As Ridley’s grandfather, Spencer (played by Nighy) is trying to run a sheep station and he doesn’t really need his son’s grieving widow and her son around, complicating his life. But guilt over his estranged son forces Spencer to make an effort, teach the kid a little outback survival and lore. He even pulls out his gun every time he sees a dingo and aims at them. Ridly is horrified and asks him why he’s shooting a dog. “They may look like a dog, Ridley, but they’re more wolf than dog,” says Spencer. The kid isn’t convinced. So, when the chance comes to rescue a fine specimen of the breed trapped in a fence, he makes a new friend. He names it after grandpa’s ranch, “Buckley’s Chance”. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/57369d9a67a44e3d96c40dacbbcaee1b" /><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.53564899451555px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844021/buckleys-chance-7-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/57369d9a67a44e3d96c40dacbbcaee1b" /> As this all happens, we see some lovely and exotic outback scenery. On the negative side, Nighy’s Aussie accent isn’t too good, so it’s up to the other supporting actors to get that right. Still, this is a sentimental and kid-friendly movie. The film’s other well-known actors include Kelton Pell, Victoria Hill and Martin Sacks. Overall, Buckley’s Chance is a thrilling tale for all the family about fun, friendship and family. Buckley’s Chance showed in Australian cinemas in June of this year and now you can rent it from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Buckleys-Chance-Bill-Nighy/dp/B09CLPWMHG">Amazon Prime Video</a> for $6.99. Photos and Video: Transmission Films and YouTube

Movies

"It went very well": George Pell meets Pope for first time since cardinal’s abuse acquittal

Pope Francis has met Australian Cardinal George Pell at the Vatican for the first time since Pell was cleared of child sexual abuse charges in Australia. Pell spent 13 months behind bars and it remains unclear whether the former economy minister will take up another role in the Vatican. The Vatican announced the meeting between Pell and Pope Francis in a statement on the Pope’s daily private audiences but gave no details. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Pell said “it went very well”. The 79-year-old returned to Rome on September 30, just a few days after the Pope fired Pell’s nemesis, Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu. Becciu was accused of embezzlement and nepotism but has denied all wrongdoing.

International Travel

Explosive claims emerge claiming George Pell trial was rigged

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> A senior Italian Cardinal has been accused of using $1.14 million of Vatican funds to pay witnesses in Cardinal George Pell's sexual abuse trial to secure a conviction against his rival. Italian media are reporting that allegedly Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu is suspected of wiring money to witnesses testifying in Cardinal Pell's trial to ensure an aggressive testimony. This allegedly occurred during the 2019 trial after Pell was accused of molesting choir boys in the 1990s. Pell was convicted, sentenced, imprisoned and later cleared of the charges. It's alleged that this was a ploy to derail Cardinal Pell's exposure of Cardinal Becciu, where a "huge enmity" is reported between the pair. The 72-year-old is also allegedly suspected of pushing Vatican funds to charities and businesses run by his three brothers. La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera have quoted leaked documents that Vatican investigators suspect Cardinal Becciu of funnelling the money to Melbourne Supreme Court witnesses. Investigators allege that Cardinal Becciu hoped the money would ruin Pell's transparency program which would have exposed Becciu's management of Vatican funds. Cardinal Becciu has strongly denied the allegations, saying, “I categorically deny interfering in any way in the trial of Cardinal Pell.” The "huge enmity" between the pair initially started as Pell had been assigned by Pope Francis to clean up Vatican accounting practices, but his attempts were stopped by Cardinal Becciu, as he held an influential role investing millions of euros of Catholic donations. Cardinal Becciu was deputy secretariat of state between 2011 and 2018 before Pope Francis stripped him of the role and put him in charge of running the Hole See's department for making saints. Last month, the Pope removed him from that role and took away his right to elect popes as Vatican investigators have begun to sort through Becciu's secretariat of state spending record. Cardinal Pell also made a comment that Cardinal Becciu felt implied he was being dishonest in front of the Pope. Following Cardinal Becciu’s sacking as secretariat, Pell had said: “The Holy Father was elected to clean up Vatican finances. “He plays a long game and is to be thanked and congratulated on recent developments.” Cardinal Becciu protested, saying, “I couldn’t allow him to say something like that. “From the time I was a child, I had always been taught by my parents to be honest.” </div> </div> </div> <div class="post-action-bar-component-wrapper"> <div class="post-actions-component"> <div class="upper-row"> <div class="right-box-container"> <div class="post-editor-container"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Legal

George Pell returns to the Vatican after child sexual abuse allegations quashed

Cardinal George Pell has been spotted making his way to Rome as he returns to the Vatican for the first time since being cleared of child sexual abuse charges. Pell was seen wearing a full-face protective shield in a Sydney Airport lounge, moments before boarding a 16-hour Qatar Airways flight. He seemed to be travelling solo after hopping aboard the last flight out of Sydney. According to 9News, NSW Police officers transported Pell into the airport through a different entrance to the one used by the public. The 79-year-old is returning to the Holy See for the first time in three years since coming back to Australia to fight child sexual abuse allegations. His arrival comes in the middle of a financial storm for the Vatican after Pope Francis sacked a Cardinal over embezzlement claims earlier this week. Before his lengthy battle in court, Pell was employed as Pope Francis' Vatican finance minister, raising suspicions he may be returning to a job.

Travel Trouble

“Poorly researched rubbish”: Ray Hadley slams Alan Jones over stance on George Pell

Radio presenter Ray Hadley has slammed rival Alan Jones over his morning interview with columnist Andrew Bolt about Cardinal George Pell’s acquittal. Sydney radio 2GB mornings host Hadley said Jones had aired “poorly researched rubbish” on his breakfast show. Bolt, who is based in Melbourne is a newspaper columnist, blogger and Sky Television host and made an appearance on Jones’ show demanding an apology from Hadley for calling him “creepy” after he defended the cardinal. But Hadley said Bolt was wrong because he only called him “creepy” in reference to a separate case concerning a pedophile. “I won’t be apologising for calling him ‘creepy’ in relation to Pell because I did not,” Hadley said furiously as his show began at 9 am on Wednesday. “So Mr Bolt don’t hold your breath … check your facts.” Hadley then told his audience Bolt was on his open phone line before saying ‘you’ve had your say’ and declining the call. At 9:25am, Bolt hit back on his Herald Sun blog, saying “Ray Hadley is a coward.” “I asked to go on air for a right of reply but he refused.” Bolt then said he tried once more to get on air and spoke to a Hadley program staffer. “Once again Ray refused to take my call, and then went on air again to accuse me of bullying his staffer. Falsely claimed I said I would have his staffer sacked.” Bolt did admit to telling the staffer he should be ashamed of working for Hadley and that “I would remember him”, according to his blog post. The feud began when Bolt spoke to Hadley’s 2GB stablemate, breakfast host Alan Jones, just before 9 am and demanded the apology. The pair had been discussing the outcome of a High Court hearing into the Pell case. The court on Tuesday acquitted Cardinal Pell of five child sexual abuse offences because there was a “significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof.” Cardinal Pell spent over 400 days – first in Melbourne’s Metropolitan Remand Centre and alter the maximum security Barwon Prison – in jail before he was released within hours of the High Court judgement.

News

Pope Francis decries “unjust sentences” after George Pell was acquitted

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> Pope Francis has recalled the “persecution that Jesus suffered” and has prayed for those who suffer “unjust sentences” hours after Cardinal George Pell was acquitted of child sexual abuse charges. Australia’s highest court quashed convictions that Pell sexually assaulted two choirboys in the 1990s, which allowed the 78-year-old former Vatican economy minister to walk free from jail. At the start of the mass, Pope Francis said: “I would like to pray today for all those people who suffer unjust sentences resulting from intransigence [against them].” Francis did not mention Pell by name at mass, but compared the suffering of those inflicted with “unjust sentences” to the way Jewish community elders persecuted Jesus with “obstinacy and rage even though he was innocent.” He also tweeted about the persecution of Jesus, without making specific reference to Pell. “In these days of Lent, we’ve been witnessing the persecution that Jesus underwent and how He was judged ferociously, even though He was innocent. “Let us pray together today for all those persons who suffer due to an unjust sentence because someone had it in for them.” The Vatican also welcomed the acquittal, praising Pell in its first official statement for “having waited for the truth to be ascertained”. The Vatican said last year that it would wait for the judicial process to be exhausted before taking any further action. Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of advocacy group BishopAccountantability.org, said the court’s decision had been widely expected. “Though distressing to many survivors, the decision doesn’t change the fact that the trial of the powerful cardinal was a watershed,” she said. “Yet that is where all of these cases belong. While messy and painful, a judicial process in a democratic society is immeasurably better than that of a Vatican tribunal, which keeps its proceedings secret,” she added. </div> </div> </div>

News

BREAKING: George Pell wins High Court appeal against child sex abuse convictions

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> Cardinal George Pell will be released from prison after Australia’s High Court quashed his child sexual abuse convictions. The decision has been made less than a month after the High Court of Australia heard two days of intense legal arguments from the Cardinal’s Lawyers and Victorian prosecutors. The ruling was handed down by Chief Justice Susan Kiefel in an almost empty High Court registry in Brisbane due to social-distancing measures introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic. A statement was released by the High Court of Australia and has been published by <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/apr/07/cardinal-george-pell-high-court-decision-appeal-latest-verdict-live-news" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. “Today, the High Court granted special leave to appeal against a decision of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria and unanimously allowed the appeal. “The High Court found that the jury, acting rationally on the whole of the evidence, ought to have entertained a doubt as to the applicant’s guilt with respect to each of the offences for which he was convicted, and ordered that the convictions be quashed and that verdicts of acquittal be entered in their place.” “The Court held that, on the assumption that the jury had assessed the complainant’s evidence as thoroughly credible and reliable, the evidence of the opportunity witnesses nonetheless required the jury, acting rationally, to have entertained a reasonable doubt as to the applicant’s guilt in relation to the offences involved in both alleged incidents. With respect to each of the applicant’s convictions, there was, consistently with the words the Court used in Chidiac v The Queen (1991) 171 CLR 432 at 444 and M v The Queen (1994) 181 CLR 487 at 494, “a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof”. Victorian Police have released a statement following the court’s decision. “We respect the decision of the High Court in this matter and continue to provide support to those complainants involved. Victoria Police remains committed to investigating sexual assault offences and providing justice for victims no matter how many years have passed. We would also like to acknowledge the tireless work on this case by Taskforce Sano investigators over many years.” Cardinal Pell, 78, has been serving a jail sentence of six years after he was convicted in 2018 of abusing two choirboys in the 1990’s when he was the archbishop of Melbourne. </div> </div> </div>

Legal

George Pell’s bid for freedom will change in six minutes

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> The full bench of the High Court has set aside two days to hear the case of George Pell, as his lawyers believe that the guilt, reputation and legacy of the influential clergyman will turn on six minutes. Pell was found guilty in 2018 of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in the 1990s. Cardinal Pell’s legal team has drawn the court’s attention to the greatest doubt over Pell’s conviction for child sex offences, which the legal team have submitted for its final argument. Their final argument is when would the archbishop of Melbourne have found himself alone in the priests’ sacristy with two choirboys for the five to six minutes required to assault them? Another aspect to their final argument is asking where were the seven altar servers who file into the sacristy to bow to the crucifix after the completion of mass? These questions go to the heart of the issues before the High Court, which is whether it was open to the jury on the basis of evidence provided to find Pell guilty. There are three possible outcomes of the final appeal. The first outcome is that the court may refuse special leave to appeal, despite clearing its calendar to deal with Pell. The second outcome is that the court may grant leave and dismiss the appeal. In either of these outcomes, Pell would remain a convicted child sex offender and serve the remainder of his minimum three year and eight month prison sentence. The third outcome is that the High Court may grant special leave to appeal and remove Pell’s conviction. La Trobe University law professor Patrick Keyzer believes that the second outcome is the most likely outcome. “Even though this case is about a very important person and a notoriously significant decision, it is nevertheless still a case about a jury verdict of guilt where a court of appeal has found no legal reason for questioning that verdict,’’ Professor Keyzer told The Age and <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/george-pell-s-final-bid-for-freedom-rests-on-six-missing-minutes-20200310-p548pp.html" target="_blank">The Sydney Morning Herald</a>. “The Chief Judge of the County Court heard the criminal trial and it was for the jury to determine whether Pell was guilty. The jury performed its role. “A majority of the Court of Appeal very carefully went through the trial judgment, found no errors of law and concluded the verdict was open to the jury on the facts. “There are hundreds of jury trials going on in Australia every year. We have held on to a tradition of jury trial in many jurisdictions for many types of trial because there is a strong belief that people have a significant role to play in making that assessment of guilt." No one expects the third outcome to happen as early as Wednesday, but even if it does, Pell won’t be there to see it as he is in a high security unit of Barwon Prison. </div> </div> </div>

Legal

Sam Armytage and David Koch reveal the secret code they use live on air

Sunrise hosts David Koch and Sam Armytage have revealed the hidden cues they use to talk to their executive producer Michael Pell while live on television. “I like Michael talking in my ear when we’re on air,” Armytage told <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/morning-shows/sunrise-hosts-reveal-their-secret-onset-signals/news-story/53b1dbc94b6df0e4eba066aa5b54b3f3" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>. “I like to know where we’re going.” However, Koch explained that Pell’s comments can be “colourful” at times. “We might have an interview and Michael’s going (in our ears), ‘This is boring as bats**t! Get out of this quickly,’” Koch told news.com.au. “Sam and I are sitting on air going (to the guest), ‘That’s really interesting, thanks so much for that, it’s been a delight to have you on.’ And Michael’s saying, ‘F**k them off!’” “Look, I’m not tactful,” Pell joked in response to Koch’s comment. “I like to have a very casual and colourful environment and I think that helps with the energy, that helps with making it fun.” <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5bYboqnBBi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5bYboqnBBi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Michael Pell (@michaeljpell)</a> on Nov 28, 2019 at 3:38pm PST </div> </blockquote> Pell, who has been the executive producer of the show since 2010, explained that Armytage and Koch use one and two finger gestures to tell the producer how many questions are left for their guest. “During an interview I’ll say (to the hosts), ‘Do you want another question (for the guest)?’” Pell told news.com.au. “They then signal physically through the camera to me which I’m watching in the control room.” Pell also said that the reason that their show is beating Today in the ratings is that there has been “little change” in their lineup over the years. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzVGCTgHoJf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzVGCTgHoJf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Logies 2019 🍾🥂📺 @sunriseon7</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/michaeljpell/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Michael Pell</a> (@michaeljpell) on Jun 30, 2019 at 2:54am PDT </div> </blockquote> “I’m quite surprised at how all of that’s gone down with that show,” Sunrise’s Michael Pell said about Today in an interview <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/morning-shows/sunrise-boss-blasts-nine-the-audience-doesnt-like-a-company-that-treats-people-badly/news-story/febd1b6d6eff8be801ad3456e6f7f96e" target="_blank">with news.com.au earlier</a>. “Not to talk too much about them, but I’ve never seen that many people sacked that quickly for no apparent reason. “I think the audience is punishing them for that still,” Pell said about Nine’s everchanging lineup on Today. “The audience doesn’t like a company that treats people badly. “On our side of the fence, there’s been very little change in what we’ve done for many years and I think people appreciate that.”

“Profoundly disrespectful”: Shock as George Pell supporters are told to write him a Christmas card

British Deacon Nick Donnelly has asked supporters of convicted paedophile Cardinal George Pell to send him Christmas cards in jail. He asked his followers on Twitter to send Pell letters to his prison cell. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Please show your support for Cardinal Pell by sending him a Christmas card Here's his address DO NOT address his envelope as 'Cardinal Pell' or it will be refused <a href="https://t.co/jsKxvBNofb">pic.twitter.com/jsKxvBNofb</a> — Nick Donnelly (@ProtecttheFaith) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProtecttheFaith/status/1201385480178282496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2019</a></blockquote> "Please show your support for Cardinal Pell by sending him a Christmas card," he wrote alongside a screenshot of an address. Donnelly also says that anyone who sends a letter should “NOT address his envelope as ‘Cardinal Pell’ or it will be refused”. Donnelly also said that gifts of $15 would be accepted. The message has drawn criticism from other Twitter users who labelled the move "profoundly disrespectful. It also drew criticism from Melbourne-based victim support group In Good Faith Foundation. Chief Executive Officer Clare Leaney said to <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/news/religion-and-belief/george-pell-supporters-told-to-write-christmas-cards-to-convicted-paedophile-c-587870" target="_blank">7News.com.au</a> that she hopes no victims of sexual abuse saw the Tweet. "For a lot of survivors of abuse, there is no holiday period," she said. "That's been taken away from them. "These are people that have lost their faith and their connection to the church and I think the festive season reinforces the isolation some people can have." Pell is currently preparing to spend his first Christmas period behind bars after being jailed for six years with a non-parole period of three years and eight months. However, he is waiting to appeal his conviction in the High Court, which is expected to happen sometime next year. Leaney says that the constant rehashing of the case could be stressful for victims. "I think that for everyone, the impact of childhood abuse and particularly in a religious context, it’s unquantifiable," she said. "For all our clients, they identify it as the worst moment of their lives."

News

Outrage as Tony Abbott visits “friend” Cardinal George Pell in jail

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has caused outrage after he visited Cardinal George Pell in jail, where he is being held on child sex convictions. Abbott has not been shy about his praise for the 78-year-old Catholic senior and admitted to previously calling his long-time friend after Pell was found guilty. <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/news/george-pell/former-prime-minister-tony-abbott-drops-by-to-see-convicted-paedophile-george-pell-in-melbourne-prison-c-585274" target="_blank">Seven News</a> reported that the pair were reunited during a prison visit in Melbourne. “Look, I was simply visiting a friend,” he told a waiting reporter. “That’s all.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he was just visiting a friend (convicted child sex offender Cardinal George Pell) at the Melbourne Assessment Prison. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7NewsMelb?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7NewsMelb</a> <a href="https://t.co/UN8GHURD4F">pic.twitter.com/UN8GHURD4F</a> — Brendan Donohoe (@BrendanDonohoe7) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrendanDonohoe7/status/1201393275585744896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">2 December 2019</a></blockquote> Abbott declined to answer other questions as he got into a taxi. Pell was found guilty of five convictions for molesting two choirboys 22 years ago. He initially was sentences to six years behind bars but has had his bid to appeal the conviction granted by the High Court of Australia. Abbott has been a long-time supporter of Pell and reluctantly admitted in an interview with <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.2gb.com/tony-abbott-admits-he-phoned-friend-george-pell-on-the-same-day-guilty-verdict-revealed/" target="_blank">journalist Ben Fordham</a> that he called Pell after he was found guilty. “It was a call I put into him, yes I spoke to him,” Mr Abbott admitted. Fordham asked if he would consider his support if Pell was found guilty, but Abbott said that they should see what the appeal court finds. “Well he’s been found guilty by a court of a horrible crime, an absolutely horrible crime,” he said. “Let’s see what the appeal court finds. It’s a shocking and devastating result.” <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.2gb.com/ray-hadley-slams-john-howard-and-tony-abbotts-gross-errors-of-judgement/" target="_blank">Ray Hadley</a> also grilled Abbott over whether or not he provided a character reference for Pell. “I honestly don’t know whether I was asked to provide a reference or not. I have no recall of being asked to provide a reference,” Mr Abbott said. “When it comes to the phone call, look, I’m not a fair weather friend. This was someone who was obviously going through a very, very bad experience. Now I’m not saying that he’s the only one going through bad experiences, but he has been a friend of mine for a long time, and at a time like this you’ve got to feel for people,” Abbott explained. “You’ve got to feel for the victims, who’ve been dreadfully betrayed by an institution they should have been able to trust. You’ve got to feel for the people who are dismayed by this verdict against someone they’d put up on a pedestal.”

News

George Pell’s last-chance appeal allowed by High Court

Australia’s highest court has granted Cardinal George Pell a final chance to fight his convictions for child sexual abuse offences. On Wednesday, the High Court gave Pell’s legal team special leave to appeal. The 78-year-old is currently serving a six-year jail sentence after a unanimous Victorian County Court jury found Pell guilty of molesting two choirboys at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral in the 1990s. In June, the Victorian Court of Appeal rejected his appeal in a two-one decision, prompting Pell’s lawyers to raise the matter to the High Court. Pell, Australia’s highest-ranking Catholic, has so far served eight months’ jail in the Melbourne Assessment Prison. Pell’s legal team, led by Bret Walker SC, is expected to appear before the judges next year. Abuse survivors’ advocate Chrissie Foster said the High Court’s decision was “very disappointing”. “[Victims of abuse] will feel the same, they’ll feel very disappointed that this permission has been granted and that it's going to continue,” Foster told the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-13/george-pells-child-sex-abuse-appeal-bid-high-court-ruling/11695564">ABC</a>.

Legal

“Genuine doubt”: Why one judges’ argument could save George Pell

After George Pell’s application to Victoria’s Court of Appeal was dismissed on Wednesday with two judges ruling that they thought the jury’s verdict was unreasonable, Pell’s legal team has their sights set on the High Court of Australia. It’s all due to one judge who disagreed and put his views forward in a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.supremecourt.vic.gov.au/case-summaries/court-of-appeal-proceedings/george-pell-v-the-queen" target="_blank">203-page dissenting opinion.</a> Justice Weinburg is a former Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecution who joined the Federal Court in 1998 before moving to the Victorian Court of Appeal in 2008. He retired in 2018 but has served as an acting judge since then. There are five reasons as to why he disagreed with his fellow judges. 1. Genuine doubt Weinburg says that he has a “genuine doubt as to the applicant’s guilt.” The jury was required in the case to find Pell guilty “beyond reasonable doubt”, but after reviewing the evidence himself, Weinburg thinks that there was a “significant possibility” that Pell did not commit the offences. “My doubt is a doubt which the jury ought also to have had,” he wrote. 2. He didn’t find the complainant convincing Weinburg has suggested that there was a lot of evidence that casts doubt upon the complainant’s story. He said that there were “inconsistencies, and discrepancies, and a number of his answers simply made no sense”. One example Weinburg used was that the fact that the complainant did not remember there were rehearsals for the choir after mass on the two days that the abuse likely occurred. The complainant was also unsure if Pell had said mass that day or was leading Mass. 3. Weinburg trusts the other witnesses He gave more weight to other witness testimonies than his fellow judges who concluded their evidence was inconsistent. Weinburg has disagreed and said that their evidence is critical and “if accepted, would lead inevitably to acquittal”. The other evidence provided by Pell’s master of ceremonies Charles Portelli established a routine within the church and helped rule out certain dates. The other judges found that the evidence provided by Portelli and sacristan Max Potter was inconsistent, but Weinburg said that it proves there were “modes of conduct that were subject to particularly rigorous and strong norms”. 4. Large number of improbable possibilities Weinburg paid attention to one of the arguments put forward by Pell’s legal team which suggested that for the first incident to have happened, a large number of improbable things would have to had occurred within a short time frame. The boys would have had to break away from the procession, go through two normally locked doors and return to choir rehearsal without anyone noticing they were gone. Weinburg accepts this argument. “The chances of ‘all the planets aligning’, in that way, would, at the very least, be doubtful.” 5. Unusual aspects of the case Weinburg noted that the prosecution relied entirely on the evidence of the complainant and that there was no supporting evidence. “These convictions were based upon the jury’s assessment of the complainant as a witness, and nothing more,” he said. He noted that juries were told they cannot convict an accused unless they were satisfied beyond reasonable doubt, as well as being told that they should not convict if there was a “reasonable possibility” that there was substance to the defence provided. “It is not now, and never has been, a question of whether (Pell’s) complainant was to be preferred as a witness to, for example, Portelli, Potter, McGlone, Finnigan, or any other particular witness who gave exculpatory evidence,” Justice Weinburg wrote.

Legal

George Pell verdict: Pope Francis reacts to Victorian Court’s decision

Pope Francis has tweeted an indirect statement following the Victorian Supreme Court’s decision to uphold George Pell’s child sex abuse conviction as the Vatican decides whether to hold a canonical trial of its own. Taking to Twitter, the Pope said: “It takes more strength to repair than to build, to start anew than to begin, to be reconciled than to get along. This is the strength that God gives us.” This isn’t the first jab he’s taken at Cardinal Pell, as during his weekly address on Wednesday, he spoke of hypocrisy being the “worst enemy” of the Christian community. “A life based only on making a profit and taking advantage of situations to the detriment of others inevitably causes inner death,” he said. “How many people say they are close to the Church, friends of priests, bishops while only seeking their own interests? These are the hypocrisies that destroy the Church.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-lang="en-gb"> It takes more strength to repair than to build, to start anew than to begin, to be reconciled than to get along. This is the strength that God gives us. — Pope Francis (@Pontifex) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pontifex/status/1164137571179515904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">21 August 2019</a></blockquote> Once the third-most senior Catholic in the Vatican, Cardinal Pell looked after the ancient institution’s finances. He was also known to share a close bond with the Pope, who has previously introduced measures to prevent sexual abuse in the church. On Tuesday, the 78-year-old’s appeal was dismissed in the Victorian Supreme Court, sealing his fate as he prepares to send the next six years in prison. He will be eligible for parole three years and eight months into the sentence. After the decision was announced, the Vatican released a statement of their own, emphasising on its “respect for the Australian judicial system”, but added that Pell had always maintained his innocence and had the right to appeal to the High Court. “At this time, together with the Church of Australia, the Holy See confirms its closeness to the victims of sexual abuse and its commitment to pursue, though the competent ecclesiastical authorities, those members of the clergy who commit such abuse,” it said.

Legal

Cheers erupt in courtroom as George Pell’s appeal against conviction is denied

George Pell has lost his bid for freedom with his appeal against child sex convictions being dismissed in court. By a majority of two to one, all eyes were on Victoria’s Supreme Court as the three judges dismissed the appeal by ordering Pell to “return to prison”. According to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/george-pell-to-learn-whether-appeal-against-conviction-is-successful/news-story/dd0d54d308aa68fb03793d54244800af" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>, Chief Justice Anne Ferguson was strict. “He will continue to serve his sentence of six years imprisonment,” Chief Justice Anne Ferguson said. “He will remain eligible to apply for parole after he has served three years and eight months of the sentence.” Pell sat and digested this information quietly as he listened to the Chief Justice lay down her verdict. As he realised his appeal was rejected, he looked dejected while hunching forward. He was led out of the courtroom just after 10 am and taken back to prison to serve out the rest of his jail sentence. As his appeal was denied, cheers were heard inside the courtroom as dozens of people watched the appeal on the livestream outside. Pell shared the courtroom with the media, his own supporters and the family members of the two boys he was found guilty of sexually abusing in 1996. Chief Justice Ferguson said that the three judges watched the recordings of the trial, which included a recorded interview with Cardinal Pell. “Those recordings went for more than 30 hours and we’ve watched them more than once,” she said. Chief Justice Ferguson said the judges “did not experience a doubt” and “throughout his evidence, the complainant came across as somebody who was telling the truth”. She also rejected the notion that George Pell’s robes were “not able to be moved” to reveal his genitals because of various layers of material. She told the court “the robes were capable of being maneuvered ... pulled apart”. Despite his appeal being rejected, those close to Pell say that he may continue his fight to walk free and that his lawyers are looking to take his appeal to the High Court of Australia. Pell has always maintained his innocence.

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