An excellent article - and a timely one, given the obviously orchestrated campaign by Pell's mates to put pressure on his critics and on the Royal Commission itself. Amanda Vanstone's puerile defence of Pell was matched by an equally puerile - and manifestly inaccurate - essay by Gerard Henderson in The Australian ('George Pell Should be Given a Fair Go at the Royal Commission', 5/12/15). Notice too, that against the Catholic Church's policy in Australia not to cross-examine victim or survivors, Pell instructed his barrister to go in hard on David Ridsdale,a key witness providing testimony against Pell. Not by coincidence, The Australian then ran a snide attack on David Ridsdale which was clearly designed to throw doubt on to his credibility.

This letter to The Age from CLAN is a powerful rebuttal of Vanstone's wild idea that it's all about getting George Pell:

"I write this letter on behalf of a support and advocacy network for individuals who were raised in Australian orphanages, children's homes, foster care and other institutions. On behalf of our members, CLAN would like to clarify that care leavers are not looking for the blood of Cardinal Pell, as Amanda Vanstone has stated ("In defence of George Pell", smh.com.au, December 21). Care leavers are simply seeking the truth. They deserve, after all these years, clarity of the lack of action taken by all institutions; they deserve to see certain individuals made accountable for their lack of action or revolting actions. Most importantly, care leavers want and deserve justice.
"Vanstone states that Pell is a man who fights for what he believes, well so do all the individuals who have suffered from the lack of action taken by the Church to deal with these perpetrators. We hope Cardinal Pell recovers from his illness and can tell his side of the story at the royal commission in February; he has been silent for far too long and the Australian people deserve the truth.
Leonie Sheedy Georges Hall"

personally I don't know whether Pell is guilty or not. I do suspect though his politics of opposing the perverting of marriage and calling out the gw hoax has got up the nose of the regressives. They tend to go very hard on those who speak truth and refuse to cave into regressive dogma.

Looks like Pell felt safe fronting the Royal Commission while Abbott was PM.

Now Pell feels less safe and continues to work each day as the Vatican equivalent of "Finance Minister".

see Radio Vatican's December 12, 2015 report:

"On Friday, the Council heard two reports on the reform of the economic structures of the Vatican, which were given by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, President of the Council of Economy, and Cardinal George Pell, Prefect for the Secretariat of Economy.

The two Cardinals reported on the activities and achievements of the two institutions."
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/12/12/council_of_cardinals_conclude_twelfth_meeting/1193924

If Pell can maintain his high workload at the Vatican, why can't he fly First Class as is usual. Someone in his high position could be serviced by a doctor as he flies to Australia.

He's a dead horse and getting flogged for it. Yes we all know the grubby facts about grubs. And.......

The author panics because, rare as it may be, their beloved state and its punitive apparatus (including the media) are not in full control, their authority somewhat undermined!

Cardinal Pell is not accused of personally molesting children, not even of liking or supporting that behaviour, not even of not trying to prevent it (in his own way, regardless how successful or otherwise he was) - but of not bowing down to the dictates of the state to involuntarily act as their policeman in betraying his friends and colleagues.

So much outcry about the coercion of children - but what about the ongoing coercion of the state, specifically its threatening demand for primary loyalty ahead of all other loyalties?

Good on you, Cardinal Pell!

*Runner*

How come you feel the need to be whinging and talking like that at this time? Another time , for sure .. But why now?

Are you so hardened that there is no sense of this time for you anymore?

Don't you have something more warm and fuzzy for us, "regressives" and all, at this time that is ushered in in advance of the Christ Mass?