The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, is popular because of his perceived open-mindedness and compassion, even to those who are in situations deemed problematic by conventional Catholic standards.
Francis has reached out, for instance, to homosexuals, and to those once married but who are now separated. He has also personally apologized to victims of clerical abuse. For the first time, they are given hope that the Church would no longer play down accusations, or pretend to punish erring priests just by transferring them to another parish or making them undergo treatment at some psychiatric facility.
Now comes the test.
A senior adviser to the Pope, the third highest official in the Vatican and head of the secretariat for the economy, Cardinal George Pell, is facing charges of sexual abuse in his home country of Australia.
Australian police have not yet released details except to say that they were dealing with multiple charges and multiple complainants.
Pell, for his part, has branded the charges as “relentless character assassination.” At a news conference Thursday the 76-year-old cardinal insisted he is innocent and said: “The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me.”
He has been granted a leave of absence from the Vatican; he will appear later this month in Melbourne for a hearing. He says he looks forward to finally defending himself against the claims.
Four years ago, Pope Francis named Pell and seven other cardinals to study reforms in the Catholic Church. It was his involvement here that the Vatican used to praise his work in fighting sex abuse. The Vatican Radio has quoted the Pope himself: “One musn’t judge before justice judges.”
Complainants against Pell and victims of similar crimes can hope that law enforcement and the legal system in Australia would grant them a swift and fair trial. Even if they secure a guilty verdict, however, it remains to be seen how the Vatican will, or will not, protect Pell given his stature in the Church.
It is easy to be swayed by comforting words from a compassionate leader. It will be difficult and disheartening, however, to see that when it comes to real-life problems, promises remain just that.