♫Come and face the music, the music, hallelujah, hallelujah♫

February 16, 2016 5:27 PM

The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuses would very much like to speak to Catholic Archbishop George Pell about child abuse by the Ballarat Catholic Clergy and claims that Pell tried to bribe an abuse victim to keep quiet. Formerly the highest ranked Australian clergyman and now posted to the Vatican, Pell has declined to attend the Commission to give evidence, claiming that he's too unwell to fly. Amidst anger from survivors at Pell's continued delays and pro bono offers from doctors to transport Pell safely, musical comedian and Matilda composer Tim Minchin wades into the mix with an empassioned plea: COME HOME (CARDINAL PELL)

Minchin has long waged a musical comedy war against religious hypocrisy. A few highlights:

The Pope Song and bonus animation
The Good Book
A Ten Foot Cock and A Few Hundred Virgins
Thank You God

posted by His thoughts were red thoughts (26 comments total)

An Australian friend of mine posted the Come Home song today on Facebook. Tim Minchin is a mensch.
posted by Ruki at 5:56 PM on February 16, 2016

What's the difference between George Pell and a catfish? One's a river bottom scum sucker and one's a fish.
posted by Talez at 6:02 PM on February 16, 2016 [3 favorites]

Unsuprisingly, Pell has been accused of being an abuser himself. But there was insufficient evidence to sustain it.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:33 PM on February 16, 2016

Former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally for the Granuiad: When I first heard Tim Minchin's song about Cardinal Pell, I laughed. Then I started crying.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:38 PM on February 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

Saw a great post on my feeds about this today, I forget where it was from and I am paraphrasing but basically: "Jesus said that the greatest demonstration of love is to die for your fellow man. George Pell won't even feel a bit crook in business class for his fellow man."
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:47 PM on February 16, 2016 [7 favorites]

The former Jehovah's Witness community has been pleased with (and horrified by the revelations of) the ARC's investigation. JW Governing Body member Geoffrey Jackson similarly tried to avoid testifying but was compelled.
posted by chrchr at 7:46 PM on February 16, 2016

Brilliant. The last line of the song, and his wicked grin is the best!
posted by pjsky at 8:02 PM on February 16, 2016 [3 favorites]

That part is great, but I think the best part is where he correctly calls Pell a coward and for a moment there's no comedy-song stage persona in his face at all, just anger.
posted by No-sword at 8:09 PM on February 16, 2016 [9 favorites]

Some of what Tim has to say about the song in the Guardian.
posted by adept256 at 9:16 PM on February 16, 2016 [3 favorites]

Child abuse survivors raise $90,000 to see George Pell give evidence in Rome
posted by moody cow at 10:15 PM on February 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

Good. If he's going to lie, he should have to do it to the faces of his victims.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 11:43 PM on February 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

What? And leave his life of luxury in the Vatican?
posted by Mezentian at 11:48 PM on February 16, 2016

Is it bad of me that this clip made me think that Minchin, long married to his first girlfriend, is the sexiest musical satirist around?
posted by Thella at 12:14 AM on February 17, 2016

Kristina Keneally's opinion piece basically sums up my feelings on the matter. I'm Christian and very un-Catholic (I think the justification for the Catholic Church's structure and hierarchy is bogus and not supported by any canonical or apocryphal text prior to 300 CE or so.)

FWIW, in a few of the other linked pieces regarding Pell being personally involved in abuse, I don't see baseless accusations.

Just two extracts from the above piece worth posting in full:

[the song] provoked sorrow at my loss of faith in the church, an organisation that has done much good but nonetheless values its rules, assets, and male privilege above all else.

Jesus said “let the little children come to me” and “you must be like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus valued children in their innocence and goodness. The church allowed priests to destroy that goodness and then valued the institution above the victims.

(GRUMPY MODE ACTIVATED: You can't get from here to the ostentation, wealth, and political ambition of the Roman Catholic Church. Ever. At all. (Individual Catholics I have no quarrel with, rather the system they're involved in.))
posted by iffthen at 12:30 AM on February 17, 2016 [2 favorites]

Thella

Is it bad of me that this clip made me think that Minchin, long married to his first girlfriend, is the sexiest musical satirist around?

Yes, but only because Tom Lehrer is still alive. :o)
posted by iffthen at 12:31 AM on February 17, 2016 [5 favorites]

"I hear the tollin' of the bell/
And it has a Pellian knell"

genius.
posted by chavenet at 6:22 AM on February 17, 2016 [1 favorite]

Is it bad of me that this clip made me think that Minchin, long married to his first girlfriend, is the sexiest musical satirist around?

It's bad that it took you this long, yes.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:29 AM on February 17, 2016 [2 favorites]

Great post. Thank you!
posted by BoscosMom at 11:39 AM on February 17, 2016

Child abuse survivors raise $90,000 to see George Pell give evidence in Rome

It's up to $171K now.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:14 PM on February 17, 2016 [1 favorite]

Victoria Police investigating Cardinal Pell reports the Herald Sun...

Legal sources have told the Herald Sun that more than a dozen detectives from Sano Taskforce — set up to probe allegations arising from the child abuse royal commission — have worked for the past year on the investigation, interviewing “numerous” alleged victims.

Pell wants a public inquiry into the leaks, outrageous etc etc etc.
posted by raena at 2:07 PM on February 19, 2016

Victoria Police refer leak of investigation into Cardinal George Pell to IBAC

Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas does not believe there needs to be a state government inquiry into the leaking of a Victoria Police investigation of sexual abuse allegations against Cardinal George Pell.
The development came as Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas hosed down a request from Cardinal Pell to launch a separate state government probe into the leak.
Mr Pallas said today Cardinal Pell should be "afforded at least a presumption of innocence in the context of these matters."
posted by moody cow at 3:33 AM on February 22, 2016

Cardinal Lying Asshole is up on the stand before the Royal Commission today, and all this week. Tune in to watch him say "I don't remember" ad infinitum. He's only been speaking for 20 minutes and he's already said it about thirty times.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:26 PM on February 28, 2016

Watching the Commissioner's follow up questions to Counsel Assisting I got the impression he was caulking up bolt holes. Could be an interesting day tomorrow.
posted by hawthorne at 2:51 AM on March 1, 2016

Could be an interesting day tomorrow.

I wouldn't be happy until they set Pell on fire on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica.

But he probably has diplomatic immunity via the Vatican while he is in Italy, and he can't be extradited from the Vatican (no extradition treaty). So he has nothing to fear at all.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:09 PM on March 1, 2016

National Catholic Reporter: "Vatican's Cardinal Pell admits not reporting teacher 'misbehaving with boys' in 1970s"

Pell told the Australian Royal Commission via video testimony from Rome late Wednesday night Rome time that the child came to him to say "something like 'Dowlan is misbehaving with boys.'"

Commission Chair Peter McClellan asked the cardinal whether he should have done more to report the event, and possibly put an end to the abuse.

"With the experience of forty years later, certainly I would agree that I should have done more," replied Pell.

"I didn't do anything about it," he continued. "I eventually inquired with the school chaplain." The cardinal said he thought Dowlan's order would handle the complaint.

"I had no idea that the Christian Brothers were covering up in the way in which it's now apparent," said Pell...

Following Pell's admission, a lawyer representing abuse survivors pressed him firmly on the matter.

"Why on earth, Cardinal, didn't you take the information that you had about the complaint ... to the police, to the investigators, to the insurance companies, or to the Christian Brothers themselves?" asked the counsel. "Why do we hear about it this week for the first time?"

"I mentioned it to the principal and he said the matter was being looked after," replied the cardinal. "Now in the light of subsequent events that was radically insufficient but at that time ... given the unspecified nature of the accusations, I thought that was something that was fair enough."

The lawyer responded: "Dowlan went onto sexually abuse children in a teaching capacity all the way through to 1985, dozens of them. Do you understand that?"

"I do," said Pell.

"You could have done something which would have put a stop to that potentially, couldn't you?" asked the counsel.

"With due respect, I think that's a vast overstatement," the cardinal replied. "I did take the opportunity to ascertain the reliability of the rumors. I was told there was something in them and that it was being dealt with."

posted by koeselitz at 4:57 PM on March 2, 2016

More from: BBC / Sydney Morning Herald live coverage
posted by koeselitz at 5:00 PM on March 2, 2016