AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net
Lewis Blayse
Cardinal Pell, of Australia, is easy to lampoon. Combine this with his long holiday in the palatial Domus Australia (which was officially opened by the Pope himself), and his penchant for gaudy outfits, and there is automatically derisive humour to be had. The picture (below) of him being served by a young maid needs nothing more than to be shown, to demonstrate a caricature of the quintessentially arrogant man.
Even his attendance at a serious event, a summit on priestly paedophilia (see below) is ludicrous of, and in, itself. He is a natural comic.
However, his flight to Rome today for a three-month holiday (or “pilgrimage” as he prefers to call it – sort of like the politician’s “study tour”) is no laughing matter.
It means several things. Firstly, his role as CEO of the Sydney Catholics must be minimal if he can be away for so long. One could then ask why he has not got more time to meet with victims, counsel clergy to be transparent about abuses, and spend a lot of time apologizing to the public at large for his organization’s crimes.
The timing, also, has deep significance. For a start, he will be safely out of the country when his old house-mate, Ridsdale, comes up for parole. Where are his comments about whether or not he should be released? Melbourne bishop, Denis Hart, has said he has no opinion either way, but surely Pell should come out against Ridsdale’s release? Surely, Pell should be available for media scrutiny about the whole Ridsdale matter?
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