A Melbourne Chapel Has Cancelled Its Day Of Prayer For George Pell, And Yeah, That Seems Smart
Read the room.
A Melbourne Chapel has cancelled a planned “day of prayer” for convicted child molester Cardinal George Pell. And yeah, that seems like the right call.
Warning: this article discusses sexual and child abuse.
According to a report by SBS News, the prayer day at the Nazareth House Chapel in Camberwell has been cancelled after a flyer advertising the event was shared on social media.
At my Nan’s nursing home…. Just in case anyone’s wondering if the Catholic Church has learned anything in the past 5 years or has a fucking shred of decency or humanity left pic.twitter.com/ytzeDwi5Yh
— Niki Jacobs (@nikijacobs) March 7, 2019
What about a day of prayer for the choirboys? Especially the one who died in 2014? https://t.co/oIAtHoDYvm
— Lucie Morris-Marr (@luciemorrismarr) March 8, 2019
The flyer included a quote from Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher, who last week urged his parishioners not to be “too quick to judge”.
“If we are too quick to judge we can end up joining the demonisers or the apologists, those baying for blood or those in denial,” the quote reads. “Our readings remind us that things are not always what they seem; that we must look beneath the surface and allow truth and justice to unfold in God’s good time.”
A sign outside the chapel on Saturday confirmed the day of prayer had been cancelled. Calls by Junkee to Divine Mercy Publications, the organisation listed on the flyer as the point of contact for the event, went unanswered.
George Pell, the highest ranking Australian in the Catholic church, was convicted in December of orally raping a 13 year old choir boy and molesting another in Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1996 and 1997. The conviction, which was only made public late last month due to a court suppression order, has sent shock waves through the Catholic community.
A number of prominent conservatives including Andrew Bolt and John Howard have caused outrage by defending the cardinal’s character and expressed their doubt about the verdict.
Pell is due to be sentenced next week. He maintains his innocence, and is appealing his conviction.
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Feature image via Niki Jacobs/Twitter