Tens of thousands of Victorians will goto massthis weekend, just days after Australia's highest ranking Catholic was charged with historical sex abuse. <\/p>\n
But how will Catholic priests address the allegations against Cardinal George Pell, if they address them at all? <\/p>\n
Father Brendan Reed, from Our Lady of Good Counsel and All Hallows in Balwyn, said he would discuss the news, as \"you can't pretend it's not happening\". <\/p>\n
\"Ithinkpeoplewant to know what theirpriests are thinking when things like this come out in the public,\" he said. <\/p>\n
\"I'llbe saying thatI think we should have faith and trust in ourjudicialand legalsystem, that a just outcome is what everybodyis hoping for, for all parties concerned.\" <\/p>\n
Father Reed said he would also point members of his parish to places where they can get support if they have suffered abuse. <\/p>\n
\"Many parishes arein the processof rolling out childsafetypolicies, so this would be a goodopportunity to let peopleknow what theyare,\" he said. <\/p>\n
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\"What you worry about at the end of the dayis the safety and care of those who will feel the pain of whatever they have felt in the past.\" <\/p>\n
FatherKevin Dillon, priest at Geelong's St Mary of the Angels, has aired his thoughts in the weekly newsletter. <\/p>\n
\"People come to church andthey'repart of the church in order to getsolaceandcomfort, and it's a particularly tricky area as you'retalking about a court case,\" he said. <\/p>\n
\"It's a bit easier to write about it, you can measure your words in writing.\" <\/p>\n
In the church's July 2 newsletter, which will be distributed at mass thisweekend, Father Dillon writes:\"There can be a difference, difficult to articulate, between being 'surprised' and being 'shocked\"',in relation to news of the charges. <\/p>\n
\"So the announcement on Thursday that Victoria Police have issued charges against the Cardinal might not have come as a surprise, but nonetheless have shocked many people - especially Catholics, and especially Catholics who love their Church,\" he wrote. <\/p>\n
\"The charges will proceed in the usual and appropriate way, with the presumption of innocence and an opportunity for both prosecution and defence cases to be heard.The hearing associated with the charges may well proceed quite slowly, as can often be the case. <\/p>\n
\"This will be demanding and harrowing for all concerned. But the hearing and associated publicity will also continue to generate the deep sadness (to say the least) felt by so many people (not only Catholics) over the past three or four decades.\" <\/p>\n
He writes thatit would be understandable for some people of faith \"to walkaway in anguish.\" <\/p>\n
\"They would be simply expressing their deep distress that the Church they have loved, and may still love, should be in such pain - and they themselves can't take any more pain,\" the priest wrote. <\/p>\n
An assistantpriest from a church north of Melbourne, who asked not to be named, said he would stick to the gospel and wouldnot be touching the subject. <\/p>\n
He said most of his parish were not interested in the news, and instead attended church for spiritual enlightenment. <\/p>\n
Director of media and communications at the Catholic Archdiocese of MelbourneShane Healysaid parish priests had neither been gagged, nor instructed on what to say to their congregation at this weekend's services. <\/p>\n
\"A lot of people outside the Catholic faith, while they look in from the outside and would be appalled at some of the things they have seen over the years with the child abuse scandal, what they don't realise ... there is enormous great work going on in every parish, in every diocese,\" Mr Healy said. <\/p>\n
\"I think when it comes to this weekend, I am sure the many priests in the Archdiocese will be very, very keen to assure and make sure the people in their parishes understand that, yes, this is a difficult time, but they will be looking to be as good, as strong a pastor and a leader of the flock as they humanly can be.\" <\/p>\n
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Will priests discuss George Pell at Sunday Mass? - The Age<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tens of thousands of Victorians will goto massthis weekend, just days after Australia's highest ranking Catholic was charged with historical sex abuse. But how will Catholic priests address the allegations against Cardinal George Pell, if they address them at all? Father Brendan Reed, from Our Lady of Good Counsel and All Hallows in Balwyn, said he would discuss the news, as \"you can't pretend it's not happening\" Continue reading