Australia Archives

Survivors won’t be ignored, expert says after Pell acquittal

Apr 9, 2020

German Jesuit Father Hans Zollner has acknowledged that the decision of Australia’s top court to acquit Cardinal George Pell of child abuse might make it harder for victims to come forward, stressing that while justice must be respected, survivors should also be supported and believed.

By Elise Ann Allen

Vatican welcomes Pell verdict, affirms anti-abuse resolve as survivors protest

Apr 7, 2020

In an April 7 statement just hours after the court’s verdict, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said, “The Holy See, which has always expressed confidence in the Australian judicial authority, welcomes the High Court’s unanimous decision concerning Cardinal George Pell, acquitting him of the accusations of abuse of minors and overturning his sentence.”

By Elise Ann Allen

Why the Vatican might want to send a thank-you note to Australia’s High Court

Apr 7, 2020

A close second in terms of who benefits from Tuesday’s acquittal of Cardinal George Pell is the Vatican, because the heavy lifting of evaluating the evidence has been done by someone else.

By John L. Allen Jr.

Australia’s highest court to judge cardinal’s abuse appeal

Apr 6, 2020

Australia’s highest court on Tuesday will judge Cardinal George Pell’s appeal against convictions for molesting two teenage choirboys more than two decades ago. But the legal battle over the world’s most senior Catholic convicted of sexually abusing children may not end there.

By Rod McGuirk

Australia’s highest court to rule on Pell’s appeal next week

Apr 2, 2020

Australia’s highest court will deliver its ruling next week on whether to overturn the convictions of Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic convicted of child sex abuse.

By Rod McGuirk

As Australia fights COVID-19, archbishop says virus changing church ministries

Mar 31, 2020

Archbishop Peter Comensoli of Melbourne has voiced his belief that the global COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak has not only forced the Catholic Church to be more creative about how it evangelizes, but it is also reshaping how faith is lived in the family.

By Elise Ann Allen