Book Review

By Rama Gaind
The Ps News Books
October 21, 2013

http://www.psnews.com.au/Bookreviewpsn3841.html

The Prince: Faith, Abuse and George Pell by David Marr.

Set against a milieu of abysmal anguish and an ancient establishment in disorder, The Prince paints an absorbing picture of belief, allegiance and motivation.

  The Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney, George Pell, has played a key role in the greatest challenge to face his church for centuries: the scandal of child sex abuse by priests.

  This is the story of a cleric unhurried in his realisation of what was occurring around him; undecided over the contest between his church and its victims; and unhurried in realising that the Catholic Church couldn’t escape worldly analysis.

  In Quarterly Essay #51, Marr scrutinises how Cardinal Pell may have handled the abuse catastrophe exploding around him, fuelled some disagreements and the tough decisions that confronted him.

  Marr states: “He knows children have been wrecked. He apologises again and again. He even sees that the hostility of the press he so deplores has helped the church face the scandal. What he doesn’t get is the hostility to the church. Whatever else he believes in, Pell has profound faith in the Catholic Church. He guards it with his life.”

  Although QE51 places attention on Dr Pell's role in the abuse scandal, an unusual element questions the personality that began life in a pub in Ballarat.

  George Pell would not be interviewed for this essay.

Political leaders have backed the Catholic Church for two decades in the face of growing public anger about paedophile priests, and despite protests, the business of cleaning up the mess of child abuse had been left to the churches themselves.

  Rarely would Dr Pell “…preach or write without taking a swipe at conscience and reminding Catholics of their obligations of obedience. It would win him few friends, many enemies and high office”.