William Lindsey Feb 2, 2023

Jean Vanier had until now been seen as "a living saint in our time."

That's what stands out for me as I read about hin in light of news about the funeral Cardinal George Pell, who was acclaimed by Tony Abbott as "a saint for our times." Abbott is echoing what a number of pieces of commentary in the mainstream media have also said about Pell after he died.

What does sainthood mean any longer in the Catholic tradition?

#JeanVanier #CardinalPell #Catholic

http://bilgrimage.blogspot.com/2023/02/report-on-jean-vanier-vanier-founded.html#more

Report on Jean Vanier: Vanier Founded L'Arche "Primarily as a Cover for a Secretive Religious Sect with Exploitative 'Mystical-Sexual' Beliefs and Practices"

A blog about spirituality and connection to social activism.

William Lindsey Feb 2, 2023

While former Australian PM Tony Abbot, who is spending his retirement advocating for right-wing causes and who is Catholic, acclaims Cardinal Pell as "a saint for our times" at Pell's funerals, outside the cathedral, survivors of clerical sexual abuse and LGBTQ people decry Pell's complicity in covering up sexual abuse of minors by priests and his ugly homophobia.

#CardinalPell #SexualAbuse #Catholic #homophobia #TonyAbbott

http://bilgrimage.blogspot.com/2023/02/as-cardinal-pell-is-buried-hes.html

As Cardinal Pell Is Buried, He's Acclaimed a "Saint for Our Times," While Abuse Survivors and LGBTQ People Protest

A blog about spirituality and connection to social activism.

Show threadWilliam Lindsey Feb 2, 2023

Ben Doherty reports,

"At the conclusion of the three-hour [Pell funeral] mass, 275 priests and 75 seminarians led the processional out on to the contested ground of College Street."

These 275 priests and 75 seminarians were all men, almost all of them white men. For whose interests did Pell stand, one has to ask? as one weighs the symbolism here.

#CardinalPell #Catholic #SexualAbuse

/6

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/02/cardinal-george-pell-funeral-sydney-australia

A ‘Lionheart’ to some, a villain to others – George Pell’s funeral proves as divisive as his life

Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher’s homily did not once mention the victims of child sexual abuse, or Pell’s responses to it

The Guardian
Show threadWilliam Lindsey Feb 2, 2023

"Akin to the worst, two-bit fairground magic act in history, these op-eds simply focused on the High Court setting aside Pell’s personal conviction for child abuse, and completely ignored his decades-long enabling of paedophile priests through a career-long inaction, as documented and summarised in the final royal commission report."

#CardinalPell #Catholic #SexualAbuse

/5

Show threadWilliam Lindsey Feb 2, 2023

Simon Hunt writes,

"Like many, I was disgusted by the history-erasing hagiographies that followed the death of Cardinal George Pell – declaring his actions to be saint-like; comparing him to a crucified Christ who had died at the hands of 'political correctness'; claiming that he had gone to jail for having had the temerity to 'talk back to the culture'."

#CardinalPell #Catholic #SexualAbuse

/4

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/every-sex-abuse-survivor-ribbon-tells-a-story-the-church-tried-to-silence-20230201-p5ch2p.html

As George Pell departs, every ribbon tells a story the church tried to silence

On a whim a few weeks ago, I posted some Google Earth photos of the front fence of St Mary’s Cathedral on Twitter, and suggested that we cover them with ribbons.

Brisbane Times
Show threadWilliam Lindsey Feb 2, 2023

And, as protesters decry Cardinal Pell's hateful approach to LGBTQ human beings and his complicity in protecting priests sexually abusing children, which the Australian Royal Commission report exposed, former Australian PM Tony Abbot calls Pell "a saint."

#CardinalPell #homophobia #misogyny #abortion #Catholic #sexism #SexualAbuse

/3

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/02/australia/cardinal-george-pell-funeral-intl/index.html

Show threadWilliam Lindsey Feb 2, 2023

As AJ McDougall and Barbie Latza Nadeau report,

"One protest organizer told The Guardian that it was 'pretty grotesque that someone who’s an arch defender of homophobia, sexism, who said abortion is a worse moral scandal than priests abusing children, gets to have a celebration of his life.'”

#CardinalPell #homophobia #misogyny #abortion #Catholic #sexism

/2

https://www.thedailybeast.com/protest-grows-heated-outside-cardinal-george-pells-sydney-funeral

Protest Grows Heated Outside Cardinal George Pell’s Sydney Funeral

Child sexual abuse survivors and their allies clashed with mourners at the Sydney cathedral where George Pell’s funeral was held.

The Daily Beast
William Lindsey Feb 2, 2023

As Cardinal Pell's funeral is held today, police have refused to permit LGBTQ-rights protesters outside the Catholic cathedral in Sydney, and have sought a court injunction against them.

Pell famously refused to meet with his lesbian cousin, a former nun, to discuss Catholic teaching that LGBTQ human beings are "intrinsically disordered." "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve," he said as he refused communion to a gay activist.

#CardinalPell #homophobia

/1

https://www.ncronline.org/news/police-ask-court-ban-protest-cardinals-sydney-funeral

Police ask court to ban protest at Cardinal's Sydney funeral

Australian police plan to ask a judge to ban gay rights protesters from demonstrating outside the funeral of Cardinal George Pell in Sydney on Feb. 2 due to public safety concerns.

William Lindsey Jan 17, 2023

Chrissy Foster writes,

"Perhaps before people speak of Cardinal Pell’s greatness and saintliness, they should also read the unredacted sections of the final reports on child abuse from the royal commission case study nos. 28 (Ballarat Diocese) and 35 (Melbourne Archdiocese) which were withheld from publication to allow Cardinal Pell a fair trial."

#CardinalPell #SexualAbuse

(1 of 2)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/16/sexual-abuse-victims-know-the-truth-george-pell-allowed-lives-to-be-destroyed-to-protect-himself-and-the-catholic-church

Sexual abuse victims know the truth. George Pell allowed lives to be destroyed to protect himself and the Catholic church

Suppression of the truth comes from the Catholic church’s canon law. There is no exposing of hierarchy

The Guardian
William Lindsey Jan 16, 2023

Telling the truth about Benedict's legacy re: clerical sexual abuse of minors, and commentary on Cardinal Pell's legacy re: abuse ….

#PopeBenedict #CardinalPell #SexualAbuse

http://bilgrimage.blogspot.com/2023/01/telling-truth-about-benedicts-legacy-re.html

Telling Truth about Benedict's Legacy re: Clerical Sexual Abuse of Minors, and Commentary on Cardinal Pell's Legacy re: Abuse

A blog about spirituality and connection to social activism.