Sex abuse evil as well: Pell *The West Australian* Sat Aug 3 02, p 13

SYDNEY

SYDNEY Catholic Archbishop George Pell said yesterday [Aug 2 02] sexual abuse by priests and abortion were both evil, and that his previous comment on the issue was taken out of context.
The archbishop was responding to reports that he labelled abortion a greater sin than paedophilia by priests. But yesterday he reiterated that in Christian law abortion was the supreme evil, as it represented the destruction of innocent human life.
Dr Pell was reported to have made the original remarks to 500 World Youth Day Forum delegates in Toronto last week, provoking an angry reaction for advocates for sex abuse victims in Australia
A Canadian newspaper said Dr Pell told the crowd that abortion was a worse moral scandal than priests sexually abusing young people "because it's always a destruction of human life".
Back in Sydney, Dr Pell released a statement saying sexual abuse of children was a grave moral scandal, as was abortion. He said his comments in Toronto had been taken out of context. -- AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

FURTHER READING
• Guidelines for handling child-abuse clergy www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/nonmarital.htm Feb 19 2002.
• Fathers would make the best "Fathers"; how to select minsters; Mar 4 02
G: Boston R.C. Diocese reports 87 clergy The Record, Perth, Western Australia, Feb 21 02
!!!: Father Kelly's escape to Belgium stymied by 77 more sex charges The West Australian Feb 28 02
• Governor-General (Anglican) says sorry to abused woman The West Australian Mar 2 02
• Paying for sins of the fathers; Anglican, Catholic, United and Presbyterian Churches in Canada child-abuse $C 1000m The Weekend Australian Mar 2-3 02
!!!: Parishioners support, but Florida has two sex-abuse bishops in a row, Boston $15 to $30 m extra for Father Geoghan abuse The Record Mar 21 02
!!!: Polish archbishop sneaking through tunnel to seminary dormitory The West Australian Mar 30 02
• U.S. priest abuse, abortion woman gets $2m payout The West Australian Apr 3 02
!!!: Bishop resigns over Irish boy-sex cleric, had tried everything but dismissal! The West Australian Apr 3 02
• Scandal lawyer busy on 3 continents West Australian Apr 3 02
• Celibacy and Paedophilia, Rights Question James E. Biechler U.S.A. http://arcc-catholic-rights.org checked April 10 02
• Vatican named in U.S. lawsuit & lawyer handles hundreds of cases & alleges moving abusers is Church policy to avoid liability The Record Apr 11 02
• Abuse of Trust: Child Sexual Abuse and the Churches, on ABC, Australian and global Anglican and Catholic exposés; Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Background Briefing, www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s531384.htm Apr 14 02
• Anger as priest faces sex counts -- Van Klooster supporters harm & hinder media The West Australian Apr 16 02
• Pope to 'carpet' U.S. cardinals on sex abuse & Cardinal Law knowingly transferred offenders & 450 more claimants The West Australian Apr 17 02
• Sex priest Paul Shanley in blackmail threat against Cardinal Humberto Madeiros; one-time U.S. motorcycle 'street priest' ran inn with homosexual clients; The West Australian Apr 29 02

FURTHER READING, continued
!!!: Priest sex video sent to flock by homosexual blackmailing ex-lover, Fr Eladio Ocana Serrano, Spain; withdraws to monastery; The West Australian Apr 30 02
!!!: Confessional rape? Accused U.S. priest Paul Shanley may be jailed for life for rapes in confessional; Boston diocese backs out of settling for $A75m for 86 John Geoghan victims (already paid $28m for 40), other victims cited The Sunday Times Perth May 05 02
• Catholic Church admits hush edict imposed on victims of sexual abuse, despite a week of denials by Sydney Archbishop George Pell [joined by Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart] The West Australian Jun 10 02
• U.S. lay Catholics issue call to transform their Church; The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com , July 21 02
• "Action plan for school sex abuse" Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson announces The Weekend Australian July 20-21 02
• G-G Hollingworth may face police probe, NSW law change lets woman renew 1950s sex abuse complaint, Anglican Bishop Shearman's 'affair' with 14-y-o, allegation re 10-y-o; The West Australian Jul 22 02
• In rift with Cardinal Law, agency to accept lay group's funds , USA's Voice of the Faithful offer, both sides' laypeople resist Cardinal's orders Boston Globe http://www.boston.com Jul 24 02
!!!: Internet homosexuality? South African Bishop Cawcutt resigns amid scandal on homosexual priests' internet newsgroup; The Record July 25 02
• Furore at Pell's view that child abuse is less serious than abortion The West Australian Jul 30 02
BOOKS include Religious life without integrity by Dr Barry Coldrey, 2001, 82 pages, $17.95, P & B Press, P.O. Box 81, Como, WA, 6952; Tel 08 9450 2513, Fax 9226 4346; http://members.iinet.net.au/~pbpress pbpress@iinet.net.au
BOOK: Betrayal Boston Globe book about the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal $US 23.95 http://www.boston.com
Perpetrators List kept by Australian campaigner Clare Pascoe Henderson http://www.pip.com.au/~chenderson/perplist.htm
Broken Rites religious abuse claimants' support group http://brokenrites.alphalink.com.au
Discerning the Spirit U.S. theologian Anthony T. Massimini ideas on removing child-abuse from Catholicism www.voiceofthefaithful.org/papers/TheGuide.html