Cardinal George Pell, who was convicted and then acquitted of sexual abuse, is set to publish a memoir written during his time in prison that, according to reports, โreflects on the nature of suffering, Pope Francisโ papacy and the humiliations of solitary confinement.โ
Titled Prison Journal, the reflections recount the first five months of Pellโs over 400 days behind bars, while also providing a first-hand account of his legal case, offering personal insights into one of the formerly most prominent figures in the Catholic hierarchy.
The West Australian newspaper published excerpts from an advance copy of the book, claiming the memoir was โunlikely to change minds.โ
โThe pedophilia crisis remains the greatest blow the church has suffered in Australia,โ Pell wrote in one excerpt shared by the newspaper.
โIf anyone in the mid-nineties knew the extent of the problem, they did not say so publicly, or to me privately. We thought the Melbourne Response would finish its work in a few years.โ
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Once the third most powerful man in the Vatican and Australiaโs most senior Catholic, Pell was found guilty in February 2019 of child sex abuse following a trial in Melbourne.
In April 2020, the High Court upheld Cardinal George Pellโs appeal against conviction and acquitted him of five sexual offences. He was subsequently released from Barwon Prison.
In prison diaries released from that time, Pell wrote that staff were โcourteous and decentโ during his time at the Melbourne Assessment Prison in West Melbourne and at Barwon, but that he had to sometimes endure โpetty humiliationsโ such as wearing handcuffs and being strip-searched.
When Pellโs conviction was overturned, the survivorโa former choirboy known as Witness Jโreleased a statement saying he was relieved the court process was over.
โMy journey has been long and I am relieved that it is over,โ he said in the statement through his lawyer Dr Vivian Waller. โI have my ups and downs. The darkness is never far away. Despite the stress of the legal process and public controversy I have tried hard to keep myself together. I am OK. I hope that everyone who has followed this case is OK.โ
Witness J also shared his acceptance of the High Court judgment, which acquitted Pell of his child sexual abuse charges due to a lack of evidenceโdespite a jury finding Pell guilty in 2018 after Witness J gave credible evidence.