[Via MSN]

Can we talk about the Ellis defence now?

In the highlight reel of disgraces perpetrated by the late George Pell against victims of church sex abuse, the so-called Ellis legal defence must surely be the standout. It was a cold-blooded strategy concocted between Pell and elite Sydney lawyers which had the dual effect of deterring victims from suing the church and saving the church a fortune. The strategy was so ugly that the NSW government was ultimately forced to legislate it out of existence. It has passed into infamy because it was so cruel and so unjust.

Yet no one’s been talking about the Ellis defence this week as Pell’s supporters have methodically set about washing the late cardinal’s reputation and positioning him for canonisation.

As the caravan moves on from the drama and spectacle of Pell’s burial last week, the powerbrokers have come in,…