The Catholic Weekly 20 December 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 3 20, December, 2020 AUSTRALIA HAS entered a new phase that could see any Australian consigned to im- prisonment without any ev- idence for crimes they have not committed, warned the author of a new book on the trial and imprisonment of Cardinal George Pell. Keith Windschuttle, a for- mer Australian Broadcasting Corporation board mem- ber who is also the editor of Quadrant magazine, warned that “within the ideological imperatives that prevail today, any one of us could become a George Pell.” “It was as if Kafka’s ‘The Trial’ had moved from the Czech Republic and relocated to Melbourne,” Windschuttle said at the launch of his book, “The Persecution of George Pell,” in Sydney on 10 Decem- ber. “Any one of us could now be accused by strangers of reprehensible behaviour and then find the weight of the na- tion’s structures of law, gov- ernment and public opinion piled on top of us,” he warned. The 408-page book cata- logues and explores a surre- al pattern of inconsistencies and intrigues in the Cardinal Pell case, which saw a leading global church figure accused of sexual abuse and, despite no evidence being presented, ultimately jailed. Cardinal Pell “was lucky to be saved at the last minute by his only remaining hope, the judges of the Australian High Court,” he said. “They retained enough independence and integrity to see the truth of the case as it was.” However, he warned, “there are no guarantees that future members of the High Court will act as credibly as those who acquitted Pell.” Windschuttle described the process, which included Victorian Police advertising to Author warns Pell case travesty reveals a new, deeply disturbing threat to justice, democracy ¾ David Ryan It can happen to anyone seek accusations against the cardinal, and the progress of his trial, conviction and failed appeal as a reflection of de- Quadrant magazine editor Keith Windschuttle, above, speaks at the launch of The Persecution of George Pell on 10 December. Young people, below, attend the launch. PHOTOS: GIOVANNI PORTELLI caying integrity in the lower echelons of legal structures in the Australian state of Victoria. “The whole case was based on a fundamental overturning of traditions of law,” he said. “There wasn’t a presumption of innocence – there was a The whole case was based on a fun- damental overturning of traditions of law. There wasn’t a presumption of innocence - there was a presumption of guilt.” Helping build a brighter future for children and families in crisis. Dunlea Centre 35A Waratah Road Engadine NSW 2233 Phone 02 8508 3900 AUSTRALIA'S ORIGINAL BOYS' TOWN A place for change... www.dunleacentre.org.au Be met on arrival at Melbourne Airport or Southern Cross Station. Personal and caring service. Pre-bookings preferred.Baby seat available. English-speaking driver greets you on arrival. » Meet and greet service » Female-friendly and safe BOOKINGS 1300 139 740 or email [email protected] MELBOURNE? Coming to Your safety is our No.1 priority! PERSONALIZED CABS Find the career you deserve SEE OUR LATEST JOBS Call Katie (02) 9390 5402 catholicjobsonline.com. au presumption of guilt ... (Car- dinal) Pell had to provide enough evidence to prove he was innocent.” Meanwhile, the legal pro- cess was arguably interfered with in a “trial by media” phe- nomenon, with journalists believing their opinions to be above the proper processes of criminal justice, the author said. He said even after the High Court unanimously declared Cardinal Pell innocent, jour- nalists have continued to act as if its decision was of mini- mal importance or in error. The author was especially critical of Australia’s national taxpayer-funded broadcaster. “These ABC journalists write as if they got it right and it’s the High Court who are wrong – as if they are superi- or to the High Court,” he said. “But if you read (its decision), the High Court decision is utterly scathing of the whole case, shaming the lawyers who went along with it.” The former ABC board member criticised the current state of journalism in the na- tion. “I am of the conclusion that the ABC is unreformable,” he said, “but no foreseeable government would have the courage to initiate accounta- bility in this area.” He said the case was symp- tomatic of a far wider problem in Australian life. “(Harmful) ideological forces now dominate our edu- cation systems, especially uni- versities, and they have also infected our news media, our police and even our defence forces.” Anyone who falls out of fa- vour with the public zeitgeist could potentially have no re- course to a fair legal process which is due to all Australi- ans, he warned. “As the Pell case proves beyond doubt, these forces have also woven threads into our legal systems and have changed both the law itself and the assumptions of many people within the le- gal system,” he said. The Persecution of Cardinal Pell is available fromwww. quadrant.org.au and https:// mustardseed.org.au NEWS