From a Note I posted on Facebook, 24 March 2014: The appearance today of Cardinal George Pell at the Royal Commission into Sexual abuse is revealing and shocking in presenting a man who, on the face of it, just doesn't seem to get it.
On the basis of his responses so far it begins to become obvious that Pell is a person whose psychology, temperament, and mentality renders him entirely indifferent to facts, data, or evidence of any kind.
He's in denial, would be the cliché to apply. More broadly he seems to be in some kind of deeply depressed emotional shut-down. "What data do you have?" when asked repeatedly by the commission brief, extracts little or no knowledge of anything at all about anything.
Pell has a "position" - one both vague and contradictory - and facts or evidence won't alter that.
"I would examine it and refer it immediately," he says, in response to questions about how he responded to allegations of abuse within the church.
"I would examine it and refer it immediately," he says, in response to questions about how he responded to allegations of abuse within the church.
This seems to be the evasive response of a person without interest in life or others. He seems so unselfconsciously arrogant, indifferent and unjustifiably self-assured he actually appears bored.
This despite the fact that since Pell became Archbishop, 6.5% of priests have been the subject of sexual abuse complaints, which is probably the tip of the iceberg of actual abuse,
...let alone the indefinable insidious effects an underlying culture of abuse has had on everyone – guilty and innocent - within church institutions.
A culture of buck-passing, cover-up, denial, secrets and silence, seems to have been the standard operating procedure of the church.
On the face of his appearance today Pell doesn't even seem to realise the weight and gravity of the situation his church is in - let alone how devastating the unchecked and persistent actions of that 6.5% have been to the institution underlying his very belief system,
let alone the irreparable damage done to the victims. Pell doesn't have an answer to that.
"I can't remember/I can't recall" seems to be his entire defence.
"I can't remember/I can't recall" seems to be his entire defence.
Cynics would say he's pulling an Alan Bond, that he knows more, and is not telling. Maybe – actually, almost certainly he does know more. But I don't think anything more can be gained from quizzing him. I think that George Pell is emotionally and psychologically blank.
Through some deeply troubled and flawed process of internal self-absorption he has simply cut off all normal human responses. A psychologist would probably assess him as “not very well.” Well, poor Pell. That's his problem.
I would rather not continue to rage against the Archbishop. I would rather put my energy into expressing pity towards believing Catholics who must despair at their Cardinal's lack of compassion and concern.
Much more so I would put my energy into compassion and pity for the victims – and I personally know some - who even with all the counselling and compensation in the world will never again be entirely whole. #Metta
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