AUSTRALIA
ABC News
A leading Vatican observer has defended Pope Francis in the wake of accusations made against Australian Cardinal George Pell by a member of the Vatican’s commission on child protection.
Peter Saunders, a survivor of abuse, appeared on Channel Nine on Sunday, calling Cardinal Pell’s handling of abuse victims “almost sociopathic” and urging Pope Francis to take the “strongest possible action” against him.
However, America Magazine Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell said the calls were unwarranted.
He said Pope Francis would “not protect anybody” and would not hesitate to take action against Cardinal Pell.
“Pope Francis has made clear, there are no protected species,” Mr O’Connell told the ABC’s AM program.
“His words were that there are no daddy’s boys in his pontificate.
“If you’re a cardinal and you have done wrong, then you have to answer for it.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.