Pope Criticised Aide Accused Of Abuse. UPDATE: Sorry, No He Didn’t

POPE FRANCIS struck an impressive chord ahead of his visit to Ireland in August when condemning the alleged abuse carried out by the Vatican’s former financial chief, Australian Cardinal George Pell.

Facing multiple historical sex-offence charges affecting multiple victims, Pell, who’s trial begins shortly, was left in no uncertain terms by the Pope that such allegations were by far the most horrific acts a man of cloth could commit, in a rare boost to the esteem in which a sitting Pope is held by abuse victims.

UPDATE 1: Sorry, although well-meaning, one of our staff made the mistake of presuming Pope Francis would condemn, in the strongest terms, those accused of child abuse. This staff member was wrong.

While it is understandable that anyone accused of a crime should be afforded to be viewed as innocent before proven guilty, the Pope went one step further in a statement when he chose to list all the wonderful things Cardinal Pell had achieved in his time in the Vatican.

In court in Melbourne, alleged victims of Pell are set to list the ways he sexually abused them.

UPDATE 2: That statement from Pope Francis in which he praised Cardinal Pell is from mid-2017 when Pell was first ordered to appear before the courts in Australia on foot of these allegations. In an effort to leave WWN’s trusted readers in no doubt that we want to fairly reflect Pope Francis’ incredible support of clerical sex abuse victims the Pope recently defended a bishop accused of covering up child abuse in Chile.

Experts believe that if Pell is found guilty the Pope will renounce him and his alleged crimes in the strongest terms.

UPDATE 3: The Vatican has rejected the views of these experts.