A Comedy of errors!
It is difficult to know whether to laugh or cry as I watch the debacle over George Pell in Australia unfold, and the backwards and forwards dialogue between survivors, victims, legal people and those with ill informed opinions.
I had hoped I would come up with some kind of thoughtful comment. But it is impossible to not say what I actually think and make it sound cerebral!
Because like many tragi-comedy dramas It all stinks!
Lets look at the latest “players”
Firstly and centre stage : you have this
duplicitous archbishop George Pell who when questioned by the Royal commission was in typical catholic evasive mode as he avoided his own responsibility regarding covering up criminal pedophile priests. Just ask the real heros in Australia, the survivors s of these crimes how much of a part he has played!
Then, hiding in the wings: as always, you have the vatican - arch puppet masters who managed to whisk him of to Rome just as the shit was about to hit the fan, and “promoted” him to be in charge of finances!!!
(This, of course is their regular response , they “elevated” Bernard Law in the same way when he was “outed” in Boston, and they hid the criminal Dominican Republic papal nuncio in the vatican refusing to extradite him until the UN stepped in.It seems that the worse you are, the more promotion you get!)
Enter stage left : - the two “victims” who are involved with this ridiculous and quite meaningless papal “commission”wheeled out and manipulated so easily because of their own personal and rather pathetic agendas, to be back in the fold of “mother church” despite being so obviously damaged by them. Selling the rest of the survivor world down the river for their own ends. Typically self serving and self appointed- now we have one of them complaining on Australian television that George Pell is a ”thorn in the side of Frances papacy” and has “ behaved almost sociopathically towards victims”
What!
Most of us are still cringing from the comments he made when first appointed describing feeling as if he was back with his Father. This naive and dangerous adulation of the pope is at best stupid and at worst terrifying!
Here’s the thing! He is NOT your sweet cuddly smily faced father substitute - he is the head honcho! , he knows all that goes on and he stage manages all of it! (including you!)
(Not sure why he thinks he should express his opinion, the Australian survivors are bloody amazing in their own right- they don’t need a new champion it is patronising!)
Yes!! George Pell should be clapped in irons and sent back to Australia to face the music, and he now it seems he will be, but not for any altruistic reason, but because the vatican will sacrifice him to save their own face.They will throw him to the lions, as a PR gesture. In the same way they gave up the papal nuncio!
Enter sideways and creepingly: Frederico Lombardi, papal "spokesperson" and snake of the first order, who tells us the "victim" was expressing his own opinion and NOT those of the papal commission, and they will defend the "honourable" George Pell.Of course they bloody will!! Is this victim not beginning to see the pattern, they will drop him right in it when it suits them!
Stage right: Victim again “Well I don’t think the papal commission is going to be “fit for purpose” because there is not enough “FUNDING” for us to do our work, and Pell is in charge of finances”! WHAT work exactly? why do you need money? to travel around the world expressing your opinions on other peoples’s battles while acting as a PR man for the pope!!!!!! MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY I have never heard this man EVER have a conversation without it gets mentioned!
Enter Off stage: Radio interviewer to me:
“Don’t you think it is wonderful that George Pell is “willing “ go back to Australia to “help”
ME “No ! he is NOT willing , he is being dragged back screaming”
Radio interviewer: ”He is being criticised by the pope's appointed “advisor” (our victim!) so don’t you think the pope is listening now”?
ME: NO! he is just sacrificing Pell for the sake of saving his own face.
Radio interviewer :” Well he he has created this papal commission to “build a bridge between the church and victims”
ME:” NO! He created it so that the general public and people like you report it and are fooled by it! He actually has DONE NOTHING!
Radio interviewer: "He has included survivors aren’t you impressed by that?
ME :(now wanting to strangle him) “NO! this is typical and cynical exploitation of vulnerable and naive individuals.
Radio Interviewer:”But don’t you think it is better to have people helping to change things from the “inside”
ME:” NO! why the hell would I care? I DO NOT CARE about the church, their need to change their record of crimes against children should be a given, these are criminal offences, and should entail the FULL consequences of breaking the laws of the lands.
They do NOT need “victims” to advise them how to safeguard children! This is NOT rocket science!
They just need to adhere to the same codes and ethics and laws as everyone else, be open to scrutiny and be severely punished when they don't.
If catholic parents are still stupid enough - after all they know about this criminal organisation that harbours pedophiles, to allow their children to be alone with them then there is no hope! And it certainly is not my mission to change their minds.
And it is NOT the job of survivors of their crimes to “FIX” the bloody church!!!
We have no desire to help them!, they actually should be BEGGING to be allowed to make amends, not dragged screaming at every turn and then cynically using and abusing again in their attempt to pull the wool over the public’s eyes.
Take the blinkers off -bring up that curtain and SEE the drama for what it is!
