Archbishop of Melbourne says he believes Cardinal George Pell is INNOCENT and the victim he sexually abused has named the wrong man
- Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli stands by Cardinal Pell’s innocence
- He also did not deny the man ‘J’ who came forward to tell his story was abused
- Archbishop Comensoli has denied ‘J’ had been sexually abused by Cardinal Pell
- The senior Catholic figure said he believes ‘both’ in a radio interview
- He also believes there may be a possibility that the Cardinal will die in prison
- Cardinal Pell has returned to jail after a failed bid to appeal his convictions
Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli says he believes Cardinal George Pell is innocent after his failed bid to overturn his child sex abuse convictions.
But in an interview with Neil Mitchell on 3AW, the Catholic Archbishop also did not deny the man known as ‘J’ who came forward to tell his story had been sexually abused.
‘So you’re not questioning if he’s been abused, you’re questioning whether it’s George Pell,’ Mitchell asked.
‘Yes,’ Archbishop Comensoli replied.
While Archbishop Comensoli believes ‘J’ had been sexually abused, he denies Cardinal Pell is the person who molested him.
‘There’s the question of who has been the abuser in this case,’ the senior Catholic said.
Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli (left) says he stands by Cardinal George Pell’s innocence after his failed bid to overturn his child sex abuse convictions
‘I believe in what he [Cardinal Pell] (pictured leaving court) said to me on many occasions that he is innocent,’ Archbishop Comensoli said on Thursday morning
Former Vatican treasurer Pell has returned to jail after his appeal against the result of his December trial was dismissed by the Victorian Court of Appeal on Wednesday.
The court upheld the original conviction in a two-to-one decision, meaning he must serve his six-year sentence with a non-parole period of three years and eight months.
He has been convicted of sexually abusing two choirboys while he was the Archbishop of Melbourne in 1996 at St Patrick’s Cathedral.
‘I believe in what he [Cardinal Pell] said to me on many occasions that he is innocent,’ Archbishop Comensoli said on Thursday morning.
‘I also believe that the man who has come forward to share his story of abuse in the setting of the church.’
Comensoli told Neil he ‘genuinely believes there was abuse’ in J’s life
‘Um, I believe the man has been abused, yes,’ Archbishop Comensoli said.
‘I believe both [the victim and Cardinal Pell]. Because our courts put forward a binary option; a binary option says either/or.
‘But I genuinely think that I can take on my knowledge of the man in terms of George Pell and accept what he has said to me.
‘I can also take on what I’ve heard of ‘J’ and what he’s said in terms of abuse,’ he said.
Archbishop Comensoli said he intends to visit the 78-year-old, who he said could die in jail if remains behind bars.
‘He’s an old man, his health’s never been real good for a while,’ he said.
‘We don’t know if he’s going to get out of jail at this stage.
‘What I saw of his image yesterday, his health has certainly deteriorated.’
Pell will remain in jail until at least October 2022 – when he will be 81.
While Archbishop Comensoli believes ‘J’ had been sexually abused, he denies Cardinal Pell was the person who molested him
Archbishop Comensoli said he intends to visit the 78-year-old in prison as a ‘friend’, and said Pell’s health is ‘deteriorating’
Cardinal Pell is considering appealing his sexual abuse convictions to the High Court in a desperate final bid for freedom.
He has 28 days to seek leave to appeal to the High Court, but such appeals are rarely granted unless there is a contentious point of law up for debate.
Archbishop Comensoli last week said he would defy laws, which make it mandatory for priests to report sexual abuse revealed during confession.
The Victorian government introduced new laws to parliament forcing religious leaders to report abuse or face up to three years in Jail.
Archbishop Comensoli said he would rather go to jail rather than dob in a suspected paedophile who admitted he sexually abused children during confession.
Archbishop Comensoli said he would rather go to jail rather than dob in a suspected paedophile who admitted he sexually abused children during confession