Our present jury system is faulty.

It demands that that twelve citizens reason guilt or innocence purely on the evidence presented in court.

That way of functioning is hopelessly outdated, stemming from an era well before the overwhelming impact of today's media.

Practically, our jurors seem to be selected from a supply of people who are probably not truly representative of the accused peers' socio-economic culture.

An amount of personal bias existed within juries in which I sat - some jurors were influenced by the appearance, manner of speech, or attitude of witnesses, particularly police who often portray an arrogant demeanour. It took considerable arguing accompanied by hostility to convince fellow jurors to act ONLY on the evidence.

But with these faults, it is the only system we have, other than the defence's ability to request a judge-only hearing.

May I politely suggest to anyone interested in
this case to try to get hold of the book -
"Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell,"
by Louise Milligan. The book had a ban placed
on it while the trial was on - it's now been
lifted. An updated version will be available
towards the end of March. It answers so
many questions.

.

Revelations of Church-related paedophilia continue around the world and seem to be never-ending. They touch all denominations, but the Catholic Church is by far the worst offender – to such an extent that its endemic nature is evident.

The Catholic Church is morally bankrupt as an institution.

Pope Francis is now left with just two options : either he puts a stop to it or he admits his inability to do so and resigns :

« And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves » — Matthew 21:12–13

As Jesus clearly demonstrated: there is no other honourable alternative.

I find it very interesting to see that the Vatican knows exactly what should be done to avoid any further crimes of paedophilia committed by the clergy. Allow me to quote, the Vatican’s statement regarding His Eminence, Cardinal George Pell :

« The Pope confirmed Cardinal Pell has been forbidden from contact with minors as part of “precautionary measures” … »

Those “precautionary measures” should be extended to include the totality of the Catholic clergy throughout the world with immediate effect – but in a slightly less restrictive form.

In my professional dealings with top officials of a major Chinese state-owned company in the financial sector, the rule was that no senior official was ever allowed to have a meeting with me unless he or she was accompanied by another Chinese official from the same sector. I never had a face to face meeting alone with my principal interlocutor – even if it was over a casual lunch or dinner.

That rule should be practiced by the Catholic Church in its dealings with children under the age of 18. Never alone. Always with another adult. The confessional should also be banned for that age bracket.

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Alan B,

"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"

Please expand.

Banjo,

"Revelations of Church-related paedophilia continue around the world and seem to be never-ending. They touch all denominations, but the Catholic Church is by far the worst offender – to such an extent that its endemic nature is evident."

Is that designation of worst offender based on a percentage comparison or simply numbers?

'Is that designation of worst offender based on a percentage comparison or simply numbers?'

well behind Islamist and the Indigenous community but don't let facts get in the way of anyone's prejudices.