Issy, in the context of 1945, that was the way the law viewed such matters. Good citizens by law were required to report such criminality to police. Why did some, church people in particular, break the law of time and not report it to police? Just asking as a law abiding citizen.

Another thread has started in defense of Pell
May I my Christian upbringing was full on, Methodist Church when our country hamlets had noC of E
Then born again
Let no one question my then love of Christ
Right now, even if in a post above I rejected it, my faith that the Catholic Church is not evil is crumbling
Can this Church survive,I know it will not if people insist on challenging our very system of law
IF people put covering up such acts before Church reform it is dead right now

Belly,
If Pell's appeal is successful it will not be because of powerful friends, it will be because of lack of solid and supportive evidence.
The prosecution has relied on only the unsubstantiated word of the accuser.

Pell haters may find other charges they can convict him with but I think he will walk away from this one. There are plenty of other priests that will be found guilty of homosexual abuse of boys.

Then we have the sexual abuse of nuns scandal to come forward.

Henry L tell me, are the hundreds of Catholics priests found guilty all over the world not guilty
Or just the ones who are Conservatives
RIP Catholic Church murdered by those wishing to hide crimes not reform
Suffer the little children that come unto me?

Belly,
I did not say that, the priests found guilty probably are guilty. I was speaking about this particular case.

I now see that two priests here in Aus were acquitted on appeal recently. I wonder if the prosecutors originally used the same tactic as in the pell case. That is they only had allegations from the accuser, and no supportive evidence, which was used to convict the accused.

If that is so, it is pleasing to see that appeals judges still require solid proof and not just mere allegations on which to convict.

The pity is that the victims may well have been abused but we cannot have a situation where persons are found guilty because it is easier for the prosecutors than for them to present valid evidence.

Pell if he was a Labor member not a Conservative, would be damned forever by his supporters here