Oh man, self reflexive head explode. I also post on this board sometimes so based on this, if my own theory is correct, I can conclude with confidence that I am clueless when it comes to what most people think.
Another important churchman has passed away. Cardinal Pell of Australia was seen spending time with visitors to Rome during Benedict’s funeral services, then he checked into the hospital for a scheduled hip replacement. The surgery was reportedly successful, but something precipitated a heart attack and he died soon after.
Pell was archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney, and became a cardinal in 2003, making him the preeminent churchman of Australia.
When Pope Francis took office with a recognized mandate to address the many financial scandals in the Vatican which had harried Benedict XVI to the last moments of his pontificate, Francis named Cardinal Pell the head of a new Secretariat for the Economy. Pell moved powerfully to expose and bring to account the many esoteric financial dealings throughout the Curia and the Vatican state, putting him at odds with many established leaders, including former Cardinal Angelo Beccui (now on trial for financial crimes).
But Pell’s work was interrupted by charges in Australia of sexual abuse. Pell always maintained his absolute innocence, but after one hung jury, the case–which charged him with sexually assaulting two altar boys immediately after a mass at the cathedral of Melbourne–resulted in his conviction. He spent over 400 days in prison. His lawyers insisted that the jury did not properly apply the principle of reasonable doubt in favor of Pell, claiming that the circumstances described by the accuser were extremely dubious and lacking any other witnesses. An appeals court upheld the ruling two-to-one, but later, in April of 2020, the High Court of Australia and the final venue of appeal for Pell unanimously overturned the conviction on all counts. Pell was immediately released from prison.
Like many bishops, Pell also faced some accusations of negligence in dealing with sexual abuse by priests under his charge while he was archbishop of Melbourne.
After being released Pell retired (required by his age, but also by poor health suffered while in prison), and no individual ever filled his role overseeing the Vatican finances, although many new regulations and legal systems have been put in place and, as mentioned, unprecedented cases against high ranking churchmen have been brought to trial.
One of Los Angeles’ several auxiliary bishops was found murdered in his residence over the weekend, killed by a gunshot. Police are reporting a suspect is in custody now.
Bishop David O’Connell was a native of Ireland, but was ordained a priest in Los Angeles, where he spent the next 45 years ministering at parishes in and around Los Angeles, especially in the east and southeast parts of the city. Not surprisingly, most of the parishioners he served were Hispanic, many poor, and many were immigrants. The recollections coming out indicate he served that community with great compassion and a down-to-earth manner. Seven years ago he was made a bishop of Los Angeles and continued to minister to that same community in his new capacity as bishop.
There are no details yet about the motive for the murder. There was no evidence of forced entry to the home.
Werid, this sort of thing never happens all the time.
rowe33
1829
What was her goal? To make sure the abused boys were all properly baptized? Can’t have a man like that out of the ministry and abusing the unwashed heathens I guess?
“Organized religion sucks” may be facile, but it does help explain a lot…
[quote=“rowe33, post:1829, topic:58458, full:true”]
To make sure the abused boys were all properly baptized?[/quote]
That is in fact what it is. Baptized, confirmed, regularly confessed, counseled prior to marriage to a nice Catholic girl or to entry into the priesthood, and coached in raising their own sons to be plump, juicy, obedient Catholic boys without too much body hair. Remember, these men are empowered to perform supernatural ceremonies that cleanse the soul of sin and infuse the body with that of Christ! The Church has all the bureaucratic tools needed to process both the priests’ and the boys’ carnal sins in accordance with doctrine. No need to get seculars involved.
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