Cardinal Pell claims public opinion turned against him because of his ‘conservative views’

Australian Cardinal Pell talks about his time in jail and his future plans, in Rome

Credit: GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE /REUTERS

Cardinal Pell has said that his “conservative views” turned public opinion against him, as he likened being in prison to being in seminary.

The 79-year-old former Vatican treasurer, who was one of the Pope’s most senior advisors, left the Vatican in 2017 to fight criminal charges in Australia. 

However in December 2018 the cardinal, who always maintained his innocence, was convicted of sexually molesting two choirboys in Melbourne cathedral in the mid-1990s. He was the highest-ranking Catholic figure to receive such a conviction and the case rocked the church.

He spent 404 days in prison – much of it in solitary confinement – while his conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal, before the Australian High Court unanimously overthrew it in April this year. 

In his first broadcast interview in the UK following his release, Cardinal Pell said he would not apologise for his conservative views, but had said sorry "many times" for the Church’s crimes of sexual abuse.

The Australian cleric rose in prominence as a strong supporter of traditional Catholic values, often taking conservative views and advocating for priestly celibacy.

He was asked if he accepted any responsibility regarding public anger with the Catholic Church at the time of his trial. 

In response, he told BBC’s Radio 4’s Sunday programme: “Public opinion was very hostile to the Catholic Church both because of the extent of the paedophilia, [and] the way it was sometimes dealt with…. 

Cardinal George Pell, right, attends a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis the day after the pontiff raised 13 new cardinals to the highest rank in the Catholic hierarchy, at St. Peter's Basilica

Credit: Gregorio Borgia /AP

“The atmosphere was hostile, I was certainly one of the figures identified with this old bad church.”

He also said there was "no doubt" that his direct style and traditional approach to issues such as abortion had contributed to a hostile atmosphere.

He added: “I think my style is rather direct. I think there’s no doubt whatsoever that my social conservatism, the fact that I actually defend christian teachings on life, family, seuxality, beginning and end of life, I think there’s no doubt this is irritating to a lot of people. 

“My direct style probably contributed, but for my basic Christian positions I make no apology at all, although I’ve many times apologised for the crimes committed by church people.”

He said that while he regretted what had happened within the Church, he was "able to sleep quite well on most occasions".

"I deeply lament the suffering of so many people, but I am also proud of the efforts that we have made in Australia for over 25 years — as inadequate as those might have been."

Cardinal Pell also likened his time in segregation in prison to being in a seminary, where those training to be priests used to endure periods of silence and isolation.

In his new book, Prison Journal, which marks the first volume of his prison diaries, the Cardinal reflects on being accused and imprisoned, and on the wider meaning of suffering in Christianity.