I have written many articles criticising the politically correct Pope, but there was good reason. From the beginning I thought that the Pell case was flawed, and I read, I think, a brilliant piece by Andrew Bolt that took it to pieces. Now, after winning on appeal, Pell notes that the whole thing was part of the cultural wars, an attack upon a conservative, and I agree:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-14/cardinal-george-pell-andrew-bolt-sky-news-interview/12146594
“Cardinal George Pell says he believes "culture wars" and his conservative views on social issues contributed to him being prosecuted and jailed on child sexual abuse charges — convictions that were overturned by the nation's highest court last week. Key points:
• George Pell was speaking in his first TV interview since being released from prison last week
• Cardinal Pell said he felt sorry for his accuser
• He said he hoped to visit Rome again but would make his home in Sydney
The High Court last week unanimously quashed Cardinal Pell's convictions and acquitted him of abusing two choirboys at Melbourne's St Patrick's Cathedral in the 1990s, finding there was the significant possibility that an innocent person had been convicted on evidence that did not establish guilt "to the requisite standard of proof". The 78-year-old consistently maintained his innocence throughout the legal proceedings. In his first television interview since being freed from prison, aired on Sky News on Tuesday night, Cardinal Pell suggested much of the hostility towards him may be explained by his conservative views. "A lot of people don't like my views. I'm a social conservative," he said.
Well, the left has declared open season upon conservatives for some time, and things get worse by the day.