While a jury has spoken and the Appeals Court has upheld the verdict of guilty against George Pell, powerful forces are at play.
Tomorrow the High Court will perhaps decide. Rupert Murdoch's media and their clients are strongly supporting the convicted paedophile without viewing the evidence, largely through The Australian's coverage from activist Catholic opinion writers and supportive politicians. The legal community believes it may be enough to free the paedophile.
Two Australian Prime Ministers have supported the paedophile without viewing the evidence, whilst a jury and Appeals Court found that he had orally raped two St Kevin's boys after viewing the evidence. Their choirmaster gave an alibi that supported the paedophile. After his evidence, the St Kevin's choirmaster walked to Pell and shook his hand in front of the jury, an act the judge criticised. The choirmaster has recently been asked to leave St Kevin's after ABC coverage of paedophile coverups at the college. (There is no allegation against or suspicion of the choirmaster.)
There is no current police action against Pell for allegations from the time he was a trainee priest, his time in Portsea, or his time as housemate of one of the most prolific paedophiles in Australia's history, Father Gerard Ridsdale, during his most prolific period of child rapes.
Pell is supported daily by sympathetic Rupert Murdoch journalists, who have attacked the victims at St Kevin's in the last month.
