Sydney, Australia
George Pell, the Catholic archbishop of Sydney, resigned this week over accusations that he molested a boy 40 years ago when he was a trainee priest. An unnamed man, now in his 50s, said Pell frequently groped him at church camp. The man said he never reported the incidents and did not know that the counselor he knew as “Big George” had become an archbishop until recently, when he recognized the priest on television. Pell called the charges “a smear of the most vindictive kind” and insisted “the alleged events never happened.” But he said that, for the good of the church, he would step down pending an inquiry. Australia has been struggling with church pedophilia scandals for months, and Pell has been criticized for saying that priestly sex abuse of children was less of a sin than abortion.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 20, 2024Cartoons Monday's cartoons - flags flipped, Diddy dunked, and more
-
Diddy admits to beating girlfriend after videoSpeed Read Though he previously denied allegations of abuse, Combs apologized for abusing Cassie Ventura following the release of new CCTV footage
-
Biden delivers Morehouse graduation speechSpeed Read It was the president's first time addressing a college campus since the breakout of Gaza war protests
