In George Pell, so it appears, the Middle Ages live again.
To paraphrase Lytton Strachey is perhaps an activity mostly lost to time but, just as reactionary voices unerringly appear in the Vatican’s leadership, it returns to vogue before history can fully claim it.
George Pell is the latest Vatican figure to face court over charges of historical sexual offences. His controversies have been the cause of much media observance over the course of the last year. In March 2016, he testified, via video-link, to the Royal Commission responsible for investigating the depths of institutionalised child abuse across the country. The gasps from the gallery were audible when Pell referred to certain instances of abuse as “a sad story and it wasn’t of much interest” to him.
The year 2017 has brought fresh allegations against Mother Church and her agents, most notably concerning Pell. It continues a trend that has stained both her gangrenous moral standing and her media image; fresh allegations against cardinals remind many of the case of Bernard Law, the former Archbishop of Boston, whose punishment for alleged negligence in instances of sexual abuse was an elevation to the position of Archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome and a vote in the 2005 papal conclave. As such, the College of Cardinals continues to stretch the ‘no guilt by association’ maxim.
Last year, the official word from the Vatican was that Pell’s heart condition would prevent him from testifying in person in the Royal Commission. Now, given his personal situation has worsened, he has not been impeded. It may have been the case that, as he is a senior and recognisable name, Pope Francis has instructed Pell to make himself available. Forever the smiling salesman, the Holy Father would be wise to rid such a conservative thorn from his side. It would certainly sell as repentance from a Church angling towards exorcism.
The Vatican would prove wise if they took the advice of its first leader. In 2 Corinthians 4:2, Saint Paul indicates the virtue in clearing away cover-ups:
But [we] have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
Speaking frankly, it is clear that the Church believes it can outlast this latest spate of survivors. It has endured antipopes, The Reformation and the creeping Ottoman Empire – what are a few thousand victims? Given enough time, and strategic retreats, the Church will prevail. Bernard Law was a misstep, George Pell is a sideways one.
The Catholic Church has seldom strayed from selling indulgences. For the Western Catholics of the world, they largely wish to be convinced that their faith is not misplaced. There is a pattern in this; the negotiations with European Axis powers and the sainthood of Teresa of Calcutta are clear examples. Unfortunately, for too many, an empty-handed statement on change is enough to excuse transgressions. While conservative voices cry foul over “witch-hunts”, flirting dangerously with intentional irony, it is up to sane Catholics and non-Catholics alike to deny the Church any absolution over sexual abuse.
Perhaps it is the case that there is no room in the modern world for clergymen like George Pell. On his face, he wears little emotion. His public persona is far from affable. If the Catholic Church is to survive the onslaught of secularism, science and public education – all vastly superior to it – it must be adaptable. The modern age has forced a choice: regal or common, mysterious or transparent. With its support receding and no renaissance likely, the hibernation of the Church must be drawn out by utilising likeable leading men. We shall have to prepare, in our lifetime, for the introduction of women to this sordid menagerie – though they may cling to George W. Foote’s remark that “it will yet be the proud boast of woman that she never contributed a line to the Bible.”
It is telling where the Catholic Church experiences its most rewarding yields. In the wake of colonial sword followed the cassock. Though the Church has found declining membership in its traditional heartland of Europe, its numbers continue to grow in the developing world. Having preached of the immorality, and the equal status, of contraception and abortion for decades – to the chagrin of anti-HIV campaigners worldwide – this trend is not surprising. Its continued policy of latching women onto the cycle of reproduction, expansion via the uterus, is easier to enact than attracting converts.
But this Roman Empire redux will suffer greatly from its weakening core. A loss of stability, authority and reach will enfeeble congregations around the globe. It is easy to take a paternal view of our friends in Africa and South America; generations of socio-economic hardship have wrongly convinced some in the West that perhaps there is something in supremacy after all. But it is these people themselves who will cast out an unwanted Church, if they so choose: either the Church will fail to adapt to suit the cosmopolitan world that holds financial and vocal power, or its tilt will likely alienate its traditionally conservative support in its periphery. Time is the chief arbiter.
The transition from Ratzinger to Bergoglio shows signs of a superficial understanding of the need to change. Pell is best advised to take heed from Jesus of Nazareth and “take… no thought for the morrow”. Regardless of his guilt or innocence, he is among the last of his kind and knowledge of this will offer him no peace of mind.
Reagan is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Political, Economic and Social Sciences at The University of Sydney, and dreams one day of becoming a professional writer. Follow him on Twitter at @WardReagan97.