The appeal should find that the verdict was unsafe. First trial: hung jury. Second trial: verdict kept secret for two weeks. Something very fishy there for starters. Evidence: none. All hearsay. Australians can no longer have faith in our court system or the intelligence of their twelve 'peers'. Anyone before the courts for anything should have a judge only trial. At least judges know and understand the law. Emotional, ignorant juries do not.

The author says:" I trust our legal system. This trust, plus my background and my experience, says that the jury got it right".

If we trust our legal system, then we should await the outcome of the appeal, which will provide a final legal test as to whether the jury did in fact get it right.

I agree with the author that religious and other prejudices (especially concerning Pell's conservative social policy views and his administration of child abuse redress within the Church) have affected attitudes to the trial. I can't recall any previous legal process, where so many people (on both sides) had made up their minds before the trial had even taken place. The same prejudices are apparent in reactions to the guilty verdict.

Those who did not sit through the trial and hear all the evidence are in no position to judge the verdict. In this respect the secret nature of the trial and the supression of reporting did not help the cause of justice being seen to be done.

Religious wars? No not religious, but political. Political wars.

From the book "Marx and Satan", by Reverend Richard Wurmbrand, 1986 he quotes Marx's words: "The idea of God is the keynote of a perverted civilization. It must be destroyed."

The role of Pell here in this "judicial drama" is as a victim of the Marxist warriors in their attack on God's world. Peter Bowden (#MeeToo) in his writings finds the outcome of this "trial" to his liking. Evaluate.

Everything I've heard from this man's lips leads me to believe, he is a power junkie and a pathological liar. And in good company with those now flying to his defence!?

However, willing to allow him and his sworn testimony, to be tested with unbeatable space age lie detection, not even pathological liars can beat!

The reaction before and after, informs me that there are, I believe, a lot of birds of a feather flocking in Rome and, I believe, rushing wings raised and flapping to defend him here?

I know as a returning eyewitness, there is a life after this one beyond this one and that hell is a real place populated by the most incredibly terrifying denizens, terrifying beyond imagination.

With the head honcho so much so, that all the others pale into insignificance beside the sheer terror that that particular entity evokes.

Without question, the worst criminals are not thieves or murders but pulpit-pounding pious hypocrites and guilty of some of the most heinous crimes and cover-ups!

. For mine, wouldn't be in any of those creatures shoes, nor those of their support base cohort or fellow travellers.

Let me conclude with his observation. conservatism and Christian values as espoused by the Master himself, are mutually incompatible belief systems!
Alan B.

1. Its no surprise the old bold rightwing males, who populate OLO's comment threads, give this character more than the benefit of the doubt.

This powerful Prince of the Church, non-contrite, pillar of the rightwing religious Establishment, is above the morality which applies to us mere mortals. Is he not?

2. Meawhile "Pope Blames Devil". Holy Men on Earth are therefore not responsible for playing with kiddies.

3. In a shock move Pope expresses contrition! http://www.smh.com.au/national/what-the-pope-didn-t-say-when-he-blamed-the-devil-for-child-sex-abuse-20190225-p5100n.html

Nah. He didn't.

Had ya going there...

4. May His Eminence’s incarceration (rhymes with?) not be overly stretched...

I left the Catholic church decades ago. I think much of their doctrine is herectical. Much of my family are still Catholics. The first thought that came to my mind when found guilty was Lindy Chamberlain. It is almost impossible to see how the accussations against Pell were beyond reasonable doubt. Just look at the lying leftist media and swamp that has been caught out time and time again in America recently. Our own abc is among the lying leftist media swamp. It was impossible for Pell to receive a fair unbiased trial after decades of lies, accusations and slurs many of them proven false and often pushed by the abc and other catholic hating media. Again I could not care less about the Catholic church. I do care about truth and justice.