It has been decades since the first details emerged of the systematic sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests. But it was not until this week that the scandal finally reached the highest corridors of the Vatican.

On Thursday, Cardinal George Pell, the third most senior official in Roman Catholic church, was charged with historical sexual abuse and announced that he would temporarily step down while he returned to his native Australia to face the charges.

However, the scale of the crisis that now threatens to rock Francis’s papacy was not openly acknowledged. Sitting next to a dour-looking Pell – who vehemently denies the charges – the Vatican’s chief spokesman, Greg Burke, read a strongly supportive statement that praised Pell’s honesty, while omitting any mention of his alleged victims.

Moments later, the gravity of the matter became clear with the seemingly perfunctory announcement that Pell was about to vanish from public view. “The cardinal will from now on not be going to public liturgical events so we should not be looking for him today at the mass for St Peter and St Paul,” Burke said.

For critics of the church’s handling of sexual abuse, Pell’s departure was a long time coming. Many had objected to the decision to put Pell in a senior position in the first place, due to the allegations that he ignored years of sexual abuse under his watch as archbishop in Australia.

For defenders of the church, Thursday’s announcement was confirmation that the cloud hanging over Pell, a close confidant of an extremely popular pope, is not likely to dissipate any time soon.

The news of the charges came as cardinals from around the world congregated in Vatican City to hear Francis announce his latest additions to the council of cardinals, an event that was immediately overshadowed.



“If you wanted to drop a bombshell on the Vatican, this was the day to do it,” said Robert Mickens, a Vatican reporter. “This will be on the first course of lunch today when the cardinals meet. It is huge.”

Pell, a towering figure inside the church known for being brusque, outspoken and not easily intimidated, has long claimed that unproven allegations that he turned a blind eye to abuse in Australia were part of a political witch hunt. In Rome, his assertions have been met with a sympathetic ear. The big question now is whether Francis believes Pell to be a victim of “character assassination” – in Pell’s words – and above reproach.

Some analysts believed that the Vatican statement praising Pell’s work as secretary of the economy was a not so subtle hint that Pell was on his way out and – whatever the outcome of a likely trial – would not be returning.

Regardless of his future inside the church, the Vatican made a point on Thursday to say that Pell was part of the solution in the fight against sexual abuse, which more than any other issue has damaged the church’s credibility since accounts of systematic abuse first became public in the 1990s.

While noting its respect for the Australian justice system, the Vatican said it was important to recall Pell’s condemnation of the abuse of minors, and that he had been supportive of new systems and procedures that have been implemented to protect minors.

The statement did not address the fact that Pell is the most senior church figure ever to be charged with sexual abuse; or that Francis, who has said he has zero tolerance for abuse, has kept Pell in his inner circle despite years of questions about his behaviour.

“I think in Pell’s actions and words I see no evidence of denial [of the seriousness of the abuse scandal]. Therefore, if the allegations turn out to be well founded, that will of course turn out to be a major shock,” said Austen Ivereigh, who has written a biography of Francis.



Most Vatican watchers agreed that the charges were a terrible blow to the church and Francis himself, in part because the pope and Pell have forged a strong and co-dependent alliance in their attempt to overhaul Vatican finances, a project that has faced intense opposition among some members of the Vatican establishment.

But the scandal could also be damaging in another respect. The decision to issue a supportive statement is emblematic of the church’s instinctive approach to serious allegations of abuse: defence of itself as an institution.

The statement will also fuel longstanding frustrations among abuse survivors that Francis has not done enough to tackle the problem.

In 2014, Francis drew praise for appointing a special commission to advise him on sex abuse policy that featured two abuse survivors. But today, neither remains. Peter Saunders was essentially forced off the commission after criticising its inaction and publicly tussling with Pell. Saunders claimed Pell lacked compassion for abuse survivors, prompting Pell to threaten to sue.

Marie Collins resigned in March, telling the National Catholic Reporter in a powerful statement that she could no longer remain on the commission and maintain her integrity. Collins said she had resigned in part because of the Vatican’s failure to establish a tribunal personally recommended by Francis that would have held negligent bishops to account when they ignored reports of abuse. The idea was first presented in 2015 to wide acclaim, but has failed to materialise.

Last year, when news first emerged that Pell was under investigation by Australian authorities, Francis withheld judgement, saying it was important for justice to run its course. “Once the justice system speaks, I will speak,” he said.